The two-day session was held at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic research at the University of Ghana.

The workshop was held to discuss findings from a three-year research project that sought to analyse the impact various industrial and food crops have on food security as they compete for land in the sub-Saharan region.

One of the facilitators and co researcher on the project, Dr Yaw Agyemang Boafo, speaking on the relevance of the workshop, said it presents an opportunity to share their findings and collate feedback.

This he believes would enable make substantial recommendations to key stakeholders.

“ ..What we seek to do eventually is that we want to give these findings out to relevant stakeholders. That’s how come we are organizing this stakeholder forum to share our findings with them, to receive some feedback based on existing projects so that at the end of the day we can come up with a very good recommendation to different stakeholders on the way forward …”

Prof G. Kranjac-Berisvljevic of the University For Development Studies, a participant, said the workshop presented first-hand information on the many failed agric projects that have been executed in the country and learning opportunities they present for future project prospects.

“The program has been useful so far because we have mainly reviewed failed projects and you learn more from failure probably more than success. One thing we could take from here is that the programs that have been successful in Burkina Faso for instance have not been successful in Ghana so obviously there is something that we have not been doing right because for the same crop we have two different results.”

Commenting on how the information from the workshop could influence food security she added that, “We need to produce more food… but maybe to do it in a better way than what we have been learning from these failed stories. We need to reexamine the way we implement certain initiatives and so on.”

For James B. Y. Wiyor,the Executive Director of the Cotton Development Authority, the workshop brought to bear the many challenges in the agric sector, particularly in cotton production, and also created an opportunity for deliberation on possible solutions.

“From what we are learning, it is quite clear that a lot of people are currently involved in the cotton industry now, studying what the problems are. So it’s brought out the problems are and we all as a group are trying to find out solutions to the various problems. So automatically if you have a problem and there are so many people helping you to find solutions to it; it’s very contributive… so the workshop is very useful.”

Background

FICESSA is a 3-year interdisciplinary project that aims to provide clear empirical evidence of how industrial crops compete for land with food crops in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the mechanisms through which this competition can affect food security, whether in a positive or a negative way.

It will undertake studies at multiple spatial scales using various analytical tools to study past dynamics and explore future scenarios.

FICESSA includes comprehensive case studies of different operational industrial crop projects in Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique and Swaziland.

FICESSA will also undertake scoping surveys in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Ethiopia that focus on institutional issues related to industrial crop production and its linkages with food security.

FICESSA’s vision is to produce knowledge that will be directly used by key stakeholders to improve the food security outcomes of industrial crop production in Sub-Sahara Africa, particularly for poor and vulnerable people.

Its consortium consists of partners with complementary strengths in academic, applied and policy-driven research that will allow the effective communication of key findings to different stakeholders including policy-makers, local communities, NGOs and the private sector.

Aims and structure

FICESSA aims to provide clear empirical evidence of how industrial crops compete for land with food crops in Sub-Sahara Africa, and the mechanisms through which such land use changes affect food security.

It studies food security outcomes across different industrial crops (sugarcane, jatropha, cotton, tobacco), modes of productions (large plantations, smallholders, outgrowers), spatial (local, national, regional) and temporal scales (historical analysis, scenario modeling) using various analytical approaches.

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By: Michael Ogbodu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Under the grant name, Peri-urban Commercial Vegetables Value Chains for Poverty Reduction and Food Security, the money, which is to be disbursed through the World Bank (WB), is also expected to be used for the establishment of vegetable warehousing and irrigation systems for better post-harvest handling and market linkages in the Greater Accra, Western, Eastern and Volta regions.

[contextly_sidebar id=”u7T6CLhBUe4lmxCbBSx82p18gLngYAzt”]The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is the implementing agency, while the main target groups include smallholder and less-resourced vegetable producers.

Objectives

Primarily, the project targets women and the youth in some selected communities in the four regions to improve on production, quality and marketing of vegetables.

It will also promote irrigation schemes to facilitate all-year-round vegetable production and consumption, as well as develop the capacities of farmers to enable them to improve the productivity and quality of their produce.

Other objectives are reducing post-harvest losses through efficient post-harvest handling mechanisms and facilitation of access to high value markets to ensure appreciable income levels for farmers.

Partner

Documentation on the project made available to the Daily Graphic in Takoradi indicates that B- BOVID Limited, a Takoradi-based Agro-farm entrepreneur, will participate in the project implementation process as a productive partner.

The company would be providing the matching grant for the establishment of a cold chain centre (Vegetable Warehousing System), and would consequently manage the system to enhance efficiency.

According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of B-BOVID, Mr. Issa Ouedraogo, the Western and Greater Accra Regions would build the modern warehousing systems to stem the challenge of post-harvest losses, and that the Western Region was to concentrate on the production of vegetables which was in tandem with the overall government policy of “Planting for Food and Jobs” where the region was selected to produce vegetables.”

He indicated that, the project was capable of transforming vegetable production in the region in particular and the country at large.

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By: graphic.com.gh/Ghana

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Under the ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ project, 2.5million farmers will enjoy 50 percent subsidized fertilizer among other incentives.

But in an interview with Citi News in Bolgatanga Upper East Regional focal person of PFG,  John Akaribo said, beneficiary farmers may receive the subsidized fertilizers unless frantic efforts taken to police unapproved routes use in smuggling these fertilizers across neighboring countries.

[contextly_sidebar id=”vIMU9mKp5bBTtsKZDqWzefn7DhZwoMLZ”]He said, government should not blame farmers particularly in the three regions of the North for fertilizer smuggling but rather initiate measures to track input dealers and some politicians who indulge in smuggling of subsidized fertilizer.

“Smuggling of subsidized fertilizer in the Northern part of Ghana is very bad because the cost of subsidized fertilizer in Ghana is cheaper than that of Burkina Faso and Togo hence the smuggling. We have done injustice to ourselves over the years, government is putting in hard earn currency to give fertilizer to farmers and others will smuggle these fertilizers to neighboring countries for their own parochial interest.

The smuggling of fertilizer is a social canker that must be addressed fully because the politicians and fertilizer distributors are all involved in the smuggling. It is a chain, it is a complete cartel which we all must work in synergy to curtail it once the farming season sets in” Akaribo lamented.

Mr. Akaribo hinted that, his outfit will put in place fertilizer watchdog committees across the region to police all unapproved routes used for smuggling.

“There are so many unapproved routes that our security agencies  not even recognize but we the farmers within those communities know those areas, so when we are given the task and responsibility to some committed volunteers to safeguard fertilizer smuggling, it situation will be reduced to the barest minimum”

He appealed to the Custom and Excise Preventive Service (CESPS), the Ghana Immigration service and the police to support the fight against fertilizer smuggling in the region.

Mr. Akaribo urged farmers to take advantage of the package and register with their district agriculture  offices to benefit.

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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The programme, which was launched in Goaso in the Brong Ahafo Region, is expected to modernize agriculture, improve production, achieve food security and make Ghana more self-sufficient, whilst creating jobs for the youth, the President said.

[contextly_sidebar id=”U7dBmjwGFqrR03tZ1GFBXPEhW5ppK1JO”]He recounted encounters with farmers in the Brong Ahafo Region, known to be the food basket of Ghana, who indicated their expectation of the Akufo-Addo government to revive and modernize the agriculture sector.

The farmers also served notice of their desire and an end to the “disgraceful spectacle of importing foodstuffs from neighbouring countries,” the President added.

In response to these expectations, President Akufo-Addo said: “I am happy to inform you that ‘Planting for food and Jobs’ is the basis of the answer to the twin problems you have been confronted in recent years.”

He reiterated that, the policy “is anchored on the pillars that will transform Ghana’s agriculture; the provision of improved seeds, the supply of fertilizers, the provision of dedicated extension services and marketing strategy.

The initiative is expected to increase the production of maize by 30%, rice by 49%, soybean by 25% and sorghum by 28% for current production levels.

Agric needed for meaningful change

The President stressed that, if Ghana is to see any meaningful change in the lives of her people, efforts must be directed at Agriculture.

Some of these efforts will see government “pursue a value addition strategy aimed at rapidly ramping up agro-processing and developing new and stable markets for our products.”

“Our policies and intervention will encompass the full agriculture value chain and creating additional business and job opportunities in the areas of storage, transport, processing and marketing of agriculture produce, all of which will ensure that our farmers and fisher-folk earn a higher income,” President Akufo-Addo said.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Delivering the 2017 budget statement in Parliament today [Thursday], Mr. Ofori-Atta said government will also continue the fertilizer subsidy programme, by distributing about 180,000 metric tonnes of subsidized fertilizer for 2017 alone.

He said government will ensure that going forward; one export commodity will be developed in every district of the country.

“The government recognizes agriculture as the main anchor of the country’s economy. Unfortunately, we have witnessed a steady decline in the sector, and production levels have fallen consistent over the years.”

In the medium-term, we intend to modernize the sector to improve productivity and achieve food security and profitability for our farmers. In 2017, government will launch the planting for food and jobs campaign. The campaign is designed to encourage all citizens both urban and rural, to take up farming as a full part-time activity. It is intended to be structured along the lines of the erstwhile operation feed yourself programme in the 1970s. The campaign will involve the production of maize, rice, soybean, sorghum and vegetables. Other crops will be adopted in subsequent years.”

“The campaign will be anchored on five pillars namely provision of improved seeds, supply of fertilizers, provision of dedicated extension services, marketing, E-agriculture and monitoring. This initiative is expected to increase the production of maize by 30%, rice by 49%, and soybean by 25% and sorghum by 28%. This will create 750,000 jobs in both direct and indirect employment. The Ministry will import improved seeds to augment and shortfall for the planting for food campaign.”

Fertilizer subsidy

The Finance Minister also noted that, “In 2017, the fertilizer subsidy programme will be continued to help increase the productivity of our famers. To this effect, we intend to distribute nationwide, an expected 180,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer.”

Fishery

On fisheries the Finance Minister said, “The fishery sub-sector Mr. Speaker the fisheries subsector employs a significant number of our people especially along the coastal areas. Over the past years efforts have been made to also boost inland fishing and support aquaculture development. However we believe that we need to modernize the artisanal fishing methods to ensure sustainable fishing and also improve production level.”

He said government will modernize and transform the industry, by completing the phase one of the Anomabo Fisheries College to enhance research and knowledge-base in fisheries technology for all operators.

“It will also collaborate with relevant institutions and the private sector to develop modern landing sites and storage facilities at James Town, Cape Coast, Axim and Mumford” he added.
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Interacting with journalists at the B-Bovid agriculture facility in the Mpohor-Wassa East District of the Western Region, the head of the Israeli delegation said Ghana must take serious measures aimed at improving agricultural practices to reverse the annual import of rice of up to a billion US dollars, coupled with the high importation of poultry products from the Americas.

He said mechanized agriculture must be adopted to drastically cut down the manpower involved, since it employs less manpower and produces higher yield.

Ambassador Mehl added that, the way for Ghana was large scale agriculture which employs the right technology to ensure that the country has enough to utilize and export as well.

“Agribusiness should be large-scale. Ghana is an agricultural country, so there is a lot of potential for agribusiness in Ghana. But it should be on a large-scale. The BBOVID example is a brilliant idea of how to use small scale methods to do big things in the agriculture sector”.

He said,”you can’t have about 60 percent of the population being subsistence farmers and expect growth; rather I suggest that smaller farmer groups come together to form large group to advance the sector. It’s not good for Ghana to have 50 per cent of its population doing farming. 5 to 10 percent of the population that will go professionally into agriculture can make miracles, which can make Ghana self-sufficient in agriculture and a strong exporter of agric products.”

He said Israel, with its limited land area and scarcity of water, has less than 4% of its total population doing agriculture, yet the country is a food exporter due to its implementation of modern farming methods.

He said his country is open to sharing its experience with Ghana on specific agric sectors.

“There are things you don’t have here that I don’t understand. There is no milk industry in Ghana. For us, it’s a very basic thing milking cows and producing dairy products on a large scale.”

According to the Ambassador, if Ghana really wants to see a change in agriculture as an engine for economic growth, then there must be a change in attitude and mind set towards agric.

Interest rates in Ghana too high

Mr. Mehl said Ghana’s current banking system discourages long-term investment into agriculture.

“Interests around 30 per cent; I don’t know a business that can make so much profit in such a short time, because it eats all your profits.”

He however lauded the B-BOVID’’s inclusive business model initiative with farmers who provide raw materials for its palm oil factory.

Mr. Isaa Ouedraogo, Director of BBOVID, who took the ambassador and his team through a facility visit, prayed the government to ensure long term and low interest loans to encourage more professionals in the agriculture sector.

US Ambassador lauds B-BOVID’s agric model, urges gov’t support

The Israeli Ambassador’s visit to B-BOVID’s site, comes barely few weeks after the US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Peter Jackson, visited the site and promised to engage Ghana’s Ministry of Agriculture in promoting the company’s agric module.

B-BOVID, is a Ghanaian agricultural business based in Pretsea in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region, which promotes sound agricultural practices and ecological farming, and offers training to farmers on variety of improved agricultural methods.

B-BOVID, is a Ghanaian agricultural business based in Pretsir in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region, which promotes sound agricultural practices and ecological farming, and offers training to farmers on variety of improved agricultural methods.
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By: Lord Kweku Sekyi/Freelancer/Ghana

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