The farmers at Kintampo in the Bono East have advocated for an increase in investment in Ghana’s Agriculture sector as the Coronavirus pandemic cases increase and countries in their quest to contain this epidemic are going into total lockdown.
Ghana has recorded 6 confirmed cases of people testing positive to this infamous global pandemic and expected to take advantage of the pandemic with respect to the Agricultural sector.
The farmers are worried that the government has not announced any plans of increasing food production as against the global issue at hand. The worry is does Ghana have more food to feed the country if the Pandemic travels beyond five months?
“We wake up to the reality of other countries, in their quest to contain this pandemic go into total lockdown, this will have a serious impact on Ghana and an effect on the importation of food products,” a farmer said.
The National Best Agroforestry farmer 2019, Robben Asare is pleading with the Government to increase investment in the Agriculture and speed up the circulation of subsidized Fertilizers, Seedlings, and Pesticides to farmers.
Mr. Asare noted that the youth constitutes the majority of the population, and without employment implied productivity in the country is low, as such, as a country aiming at socio-economic development there is a need to empower the youth to be able to run with ideas and grow businesses.
“Ghana requires a new generation of thinkers and achievers to end extreme poverty and hunger on the continent” he added.
The farmers reminded the government about Ghana’s historic woe in 1983 and are optimistic that can repeat itself because of the COVID-19 that is if all farmers are to adhere to all precautionary measures to stay safe.
Story by Reuben Quainoo.
