An agriculture policy consultant, Emmanuel Wullingdool, has indicated that research is a crucial component that the government needs to incorporate and intensify in transforming the country’s agriculture through the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.
According to Mr. Wullingdool, “there is a need for more research and development to ensure that farmers get the right seeds that are responsive to their geographical zones.”
He said the research must be location-specific in order to be able to identify the type of crop adaptable to a specific geographical zone for better yields.
This, he noted, coupled with the availability of water for all-year-round farming, credit facilities for farmers, and coordination, is necessary for the transformation agenda aimed at achieving food security and providing jobs.
The FPJ’s second phase is an inventive and comprehensive plan that will build on the first programme’s success.
The programme is a five-year master plan for the transformation of the nation’s agriculture, with the aim of modernising the industry through the construction of a selected commodity value chain with the active participation of the private sector.
It also adopts a comprehensive strategy and places a stronger emphasis on value chains by concentrating on bolstering ties between participants along eleven specific agricultural commodity value chains.
The major elements of phase two of the PFJ Programme that will highlight the modernization and transformation of the country’s agriculture include an input credit system that provides farmers with access to inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides.
The programme would also provide high-quality inputs and other support services for improving productivity and yields, storage infrastructure, and a logistic hub to improve storage and distribution of produce and reduce postharvest losses.
It is said to also offer commodity trading to improve farmer access to markets, guarantee fair prices for their crops, and a digitised platform for management, monitoring, and coordination to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the programme.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Gilbert Azeem Tiroog|Ghana
