Agricultural policy consultant Emmanuel Wullingdool is concerned that, despite agriculture’s continued contribution to the nation’s economic growth, successive governments have done very little to advance the sector.
Mr. Wullingdool has expressed serious concerns about the future of agriculture in Ghana because of this.
Speaking to Mark Smith on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East show on the backdrop of the recent hike in the price of food in Ghana, Mr. Wullingdool said the government has not invested enough in the sector.
While acknowledging the government’s fertilizer subsidies, the Agric Policy Consultant said the move fell short of a rather comprehensive approach to dealing with the many challenges farmers face within the sector.
It is the responsibility of the government to make sure farmers get the needed inputs across the board, but what the government is doing currently is inadequate for farmers, he insisted.
“Farmers need the right inputs, starting with seed, land preparation, issues of water for irrigation, and all of that, which, if you look at it, is largely inadequate.”
“Because farmers do not get this in the right proportion, it has become difficult for many of them to really do the level of production that they need to do to address food insecurity and feed our factories and all of that.”
“Government I must say, has not done so much with regards to investing in the sector. I will just say we have, over the years, paid lip service. But when it comes to the concrete issues of investing in agriculture where we can create an enabling environment for farmers, I am not sure we have done that,” he said.
The Agricultural Policy Consultant also called on the government to avert its attention to the totality of the agricultural value chain to tackle the recent high cost of food products and ensure food security in the country.
Source:A1Radioonline.Com|101.1MHZ|David Azure |Bolgatanga|Ghana
