The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flag bearer for the December elections, President John Mahama, has stated the next NDC administration after 2016 will roll out a number of initiatives aimed at boosting the agric industry.
The sector has seen massive decline in growth over the years due to the absence of modern agricultural practices, weather patterns among others.
Speaking at the launch of highlights of the party’s manifesto yesterday [Tuesday], President Mahama outlined 15 key initiatives his government will roll out in the agric sector when voted into power.
Below are the initiatives
- Revamp the Agricultural cooperative initiatives.
- The Youth in Agric program to be aggressively boosted.
- Storage facilities to be constructed across districts to minimise post-harvest losses.
- Farmer Service Centers to be established within reach of the 5 million or so farmers. The first 50 of these are already under development in collaboration with SADA.
- Every district shall host a farming mechanisation center with a minimum of 10 tractors, all equipped with the full complement of implements such as harvesters.
- An agro-credit scheme shall be established to serve all farmers.
- All farmers shall receive inputs on a credit basis. Repayments shall be processed post-harvest through produce purchasing boards in the districts.
- A new plantation scheme shall be established by Cocobod to attract youth sharecroppers.
- Two more shea butter factories in the North
- A new Cashew Board for Ghana, headquartered in Brong Ahafo region.
- Cotton production to be taken to 100,000 metric tons a year based on input subsidies.
- Free coffee seedlings to be provided to all interested farmers.
- million of these are already being nursed. 6,000 metric tons of coffee are currently being produced in Ghana. The volume of production is to increase to 100,000 metric tons as a result of this policy.
- Cold-chain infrastructure shall be deployed across all landing sites in coastal Ghana.
- Expand investments into SADA, including provision for more than 100,000 hectares of irrigation-fed farmland.
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By: Vivian Kai Lokko/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana