Women are the driving force in Ghana’s agricultural sector. They constitute a greater percentage of the working force in the agricultural value chain. The advent of Covid-19 has affected all sectors of the economy globally impeding women activities contributing to food security.
Women in the agricultural value chain have been impacted by Covid-19. Though this poses a lot of challenges, there are opportunities to leverage on as well.
During a breakout session of Pre-Harvest 2020, women were urged to recognize the Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity rather than a challenge. The session with the theme; Covid-19 And Beyond; Accessing and Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities for women in the agricultural value chain (production, processing, transportation, and marketing) equipped the women to work sedulously to explore the great opportunities that the pandemic has offered to the sector.
Speaking at the session, Madam Sandra Tagoe, the Commercial and Marketing Manager of Flour Mills Ghana Limited advised the women to tap onto the huge opportunity that the pandemic has presented to Africa. To her, the world is looking at Africa as the food basket of the world amid and post Covid-19.
“According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Africa marginally produced an average of 3.2% prior to Covid-19 but now Africa which is the basket of production for food is producing an average of 1.8%. This is a big advantage the pandemic has offered to leverage on”, she said.
She urged the women to embrace the pandemic and observe all the protocols as it has come to stay. She admonished the women to add as value to their products as possible to achieve maximum profit.
Speaking on the opportunities that the pandemic has presented, India, the world’s number one producer of shallot onion to international marketing has banned its exportation of shallot onion to the international market as a result of the advent of Covid-19. This is a great opportunity presented to Ghana that is the 3rd producer of shallot onion to the international market. Ghana could take advantage to be the 1st producer and exporter of shallot onion to the international market.
