Demand for rice surpasses supply in most West African countries, forcing countries to import to make up for the deficit. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), its Member States, and partners are determined to reverse this unsustainable trend by growing enough rice regionally to feed the expanding population and meet the increasing demand.
Today, the ECOWAS Commission and partners would announce its new Regional Action Plan to implement its rice policy, commonly known as the “Rice Offensive”. An ECOWAP donor round table would follow this hybrid event (virtual and physical) to mobilize the required resources to implement the action plan.
“West Africa currently depends on imports to meet expanding demand. Not only does this deplete the scarce foreign reserves of countries, but it also undermines indigenous capabilities in the production of rice and its value chain,” says Alain Sy Traore, Director of Agriculture at the Directorate of Agriculture at ECOWAS.
What’s the Rice Situation in West Africa? Rice is one of the primary staple food for most of the 380 million people living in West Africa. Therefore, its sustainable production and transformation are crucial to the food and nutrition security of the region. Other major staples include maize, millet, sorghum, and wheat. The region remains at 60% self-sufficiency in rice production.
While the total rice production in the 15 countries increased from 8.63MT in 2010 to 13.72MT (milled equivalent) in 2019, rice consumption grew by 35%, faster than expected with almost 15.83MT of rice consumed in 2017 alone. Overall, only about 60 percent of it is produced across West Africa the rice yield growth rate of 1.03% per annum does not match the population growth rate of 2.73%. The deficit in the rice supply chain has been met through massive imports from primarily Asian countries.
What is the Rice Offensive? The Rice Offensive was approved by the Council of Ministers in 2014 and launched in 2015 as a policy response to the unusually high level of imports and the need to ensure food and nutrition security in the region. The goal set by the “Regional Rice Offensive” of the ECOWAS Member States is to reach rice self-sufficiency by 2025, producing the 24 million tons of milled rice that is projected to be consumed in the region.
“The high dependence on rice import, increasing population, mass urbanization and increase in the cost of imported rice in recent times are some of the reasons why we are speeding efforts aimed at the sustainable revival of rice cultivation economy in West Africa,” says Dr. Boladale Adebowale, a staff of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the rice policy advisor for ECOWAS.
Food security and nutrition issues in West Africa are governed by the agriculture policy of ECOWAS, known as ECOWAP. It is the regional blueprint designed to help West Africa achieve zero hunger and boost the agricultural economy. Moreover, ECOWAP contributes to achieving the African Heads of State agricultural ambitions captured in the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Policy (CAADP).
While the taro industry had collapsed entirely in Ghana, researchers of the Crop Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have succeeded in reviving it by developing new taro varieties that meet the industry’s current challenges.
Those are four new varieties that offer high yields and are incredibly resistant to taro leaf blight —scientifically known as phytophthora colocasia. This is a highly infectious disease responsible for the extinction of the crop.
The West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP) supported the institute to find solutions to the collapse of the taro industry in Ghana,”
Says Dr. Ernest Baafi, cocoyam and taro breeder at the Crop Research Institute of CSIR. So, in 2017, after rigorous testing, Ghana’s National Variety Release Committee recommended four taro varieties for government approval.
After this step, the four varieties finally had the country’s Seed Board’s approval to be made available to farmers.
The varieties are currently at the stage of dissemination throughout the country. For that purpose, the CSIR is working in collaboration with government authorities, including the Department of Agriculture.
“We have set up a multiplication field in each municipality, and these fields will help serve the farmers in the municipality,” explains Dr. Baafi.
Farmers have welcomed the varieties and, in some municipalities, the impatience of having them is growing.
“I can’t wait to get the new taro seeds to resume my taro cultivation,” says Mrs. Akosua-Sera, who is also in charge of the seed multiplication field of her municipality located in the suburb of Kumasi.
“I am happy that these new varieties will come and have a higher yield. This will allow me to have good income-generating activity and to take care of my family,” she says.
Flourish logoA Flourish data visualization. Indeed, the new taro varieties offer a yield that varies between 12 and 25 tons per hectare, while the old one hardly offered five tons per hectare and suffered, helplessly, the assaults of the taro leaf blight.
“We can say today that the taro industry is reviving in Ghana through the WAAPP,” says Dr. Baafi.
The new varieties developed by the CSIR in Ghana can be eaten boiled or cooked; others can be used to make the pastry, chips, etc.
The WAAPP is an initiative of the Economic Community of West African States. It has been funded by the World Bank. Under the technical coordination of CORAF, the initiative started in 2008 and ended in December 2019.
The Kumasi-based Crop Research Institute has one of the best research infrastructures in the region, thanks to the support of the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP);
Using cutting-edge technologies provides farmers with crop varieties that meet the current agricultural challenges;
In terms of research focus, roots and tubers are its main fields. One needs not to look further back than 2008 when several agricultural research institutes across many West African countries were short on critical infrastructure, personnel, and other vital resources to devise cutting-edge technologies.
After almost a decade of strategic investment by most member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), thanks to the largest World Bank R&E investment in the region to date, many of these centers are finally ready to play a catalytical role, not only for the food needs of their national constituencies but also that of West Africans.
In Ghana, through the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP), the Government constructed and equipped the Kumasi-based Crop Research Institute to lead in the development of root & tuber technologies. As a result, today, CRI has a Biotechnology Center of its own with state-of-the-art infrastructure and equipment. This has unleashed the potential of the center to conduct the necessary laboratory work in ways that it would never have been able to only several years ago.
“The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) biotechnology center has been able to establish protocols for the rapid cleaning and multiplication of all the roots and tubers on which we are working,” says Dr. Ruth Prempeh, Head of the CRI’s Biotechnology Center.
“We have the best of equipment. Thanks to WAAPP, we were able to have these facilities which cannot be found anywhere else in Ghana; and they are useful for the whole region,” says Dr. Prempeh.
The tissue culture laboratory is focused on the conservation of genetic material, the rapid multiplication and mass dissemination of healthy and disease-free plants.
“We work closely with plant breeders to improve crops,” says Dr. Prempeh.
The center has an extensive portfolio of farm partners who take the varieties and make them available to the population on a large scale or use them directly.
To avoid cross-contamination and guarantee healthy seeds for farmers, various activities are carried out in different institute laboratories. The institute has four laboratories that complement each other to carry out agricultural research and develop crop varieties that meet the population’s needs. These include the:
Tissue culture laboratory, molecular biology laboratory, biochemistry laboratory, and the virology laboratory.
Within the laboratories, research teams make daily use of cutting-edge technologies such as polymerase chain reaction tests (PCR) and extraction and analysis of deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA). Moreover, the CSIR biotechnology center is today the only center in Ghana that, thanks to WAAPP funding, has a 3730 DNA analyzer, considered one of the best equipment for analyzing and sequencing DNA.
In addition, the RITA® system (temporary immersion bioreactor system) is another technology that the center uses daily. The WAAPP also paid for it. The RITA® system is a technique used for the invitro cultivation of plants.
“Through WAAPP, we have received the RITA® system, allowing the institute to improve mass production of roots and tubers,” says Dr. Prempeh, while specifying that the system has been successfully tested for yam, cassava, sweet potato, and plantain.
“This system increases the multiplication rate compared to conventional tissue culture because it is a liquid medium and nutrients have direct access to the plants to nourish them abundantly.”
Thanks to this set of technological tools, the CSIR conducts research that facilitates the improvement of crops, especially given current challenges such as climate change, resistance to pests and diseases, high yield, etc.
Another great benefit, according to Dr. Prempeh, is mostly in saving time for research. “While for conventional breeding, it will take nearly ten years to find a crop variety, with molecular tools combined with conventional breeding, the number of years of breeding can be reduced from 10 to 6 years,” argues the Kumasi-based expert.
With its equipment, the CSIR now meets international standards and regulations, as evidenced by its ISO/IEC 17025:2005 certification, obtained in 2018.
“Thanks to the ISO accreditation, we were able to enhance the image of the institute,” said Dr. Ruth Prempeh.
A Regional Focus The CSIR nowadays adopts a regional approach in its strategy, aiming to be and placing itself at the service of other West African countries’ national agricultural research systems. This position will be further strengthened once the biotechnology center puts its 3730 DNA analyzer into use, as it will be working on samples from across the sub-region.
The CSIR hosts the National Center of Excellence (NCoS) on Roots and Tubers, which evolved and became the current Regional Center of Excellence (RCE) on Roots and Tubers. The NCoS and the RCE are one of the major achievements of WAAPP. There are nine centers —seven NCoS and two RCE— located in nine West African countries.
In addition, the CSIR welcomes masters and Ph.D. students from other countries.
The WAAPP is an initiative of the Economic Community of West African States. It has been funded by the World Bank. Under the technical coordination of CORAF, the initiative started in 2008 and ended in December 2019.
Ghana and Ivory Coast have signed the Headquarters Agreement for the establishment of the Cote D’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative Secretariat in Accra.
The agreement is in line with the fundamental elements of the Charter of the Initiative, which amongst other things stipulates that Ghana provides a permanent place or office for the smooth running of the organisation.
“The grain of mustard seed that was planted in March 2018 by the two countries has grown and is now assuming shape and prominence at the international scene,” Mr. Joseph Boahen Aidoo, Chief Executive Officer Ghana Cocoa Board, said at the signing ceremony.
He said the establishment of the secretariat would provide the much-needed coordinated effort to ensure compliance with the dictates of the Living Income Differential, a monumental achievement of the initiative, which seeks to improve the earnings of cocoa farmers in the two countries.
Furthermore, the agreement would support sustainable cocoa production, research, and marketing of cocoa from both countries.
Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Akoto Owusu Afriyie, said the agreement climaxed years of deepened bilateral cooperation to harmonise the interests of the two cocoa-producing nations.
“We shall achieve the ultimate vision of securing a decent income for cocoa farmers in our countries through a commitment to implement pragmatic policies under this agreement,” he stated.
Speaking at the event, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey stated that the agreement will grant Ghana the needed accord for the operation of the organization when it comes to some diplomatic privileges for the secretariat and its staff.
“By this Charter, the Republic of Ghana guarantees absolute diplomatic privileges, support, and protection to the operations of the secretariat of the Cote d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa initiative,” she revealed.
Both countries have settled on the Director of Corporate Affairs for Europe and Africa at Mars Inc, Alex Arnaud Assanavo as the first-ever Executive Secretary of the Cote d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative.
Ghana currently imports over US$ 300 million (about 180,000 mt) worth of chicken annually or the equivalent of 5 million chickens each week. The country’s production equates to about 58,000 mt whereas national demand is about 400,000 mt, reports from the Business Insider.
“There was a decline in both eggs and chicken meat production in 2009 and 2010 and thereafter, increased steadily from 50,895 tonnes in 2011 to 59,653 tonnes in 2017, an increase of 17% within 7 years” it explained.
Commercial poultry production in Ghana can be categorized into large-scale (over 50,000 birds), medium-scale (10,000 to 50,000 birds), and small-scale (less than 10,000 birds), and normally farms are owned by individuals or a family.
According to a report by the Ghana Poultry Project, there are 29 large-scale commercial poultry farms currently in Ghana and mostly found in the Ashanti region (13), Brong Ahafo (12), and the Greater Accra region (4). These form about 20 percent of the total poultry sector, producing mainly eggs.
Most of the commercial poultry farmers produce broiler birds for sale only during the festive seasons (Christmas, Easter, Eid ul Fitr, Eid ul Adha) when Ghanaians buy live chickens.
Currently, there is limited regulation on local hatcheries. The Government of Ghana is yet to pass into law a hatchery bill, which will ensure that quality day-old chicks are produced from domestic hatcheries. Who is responsible?
Feed production Ghana’s poultry feed industry has shifted to producing layer feed due to the drop-off in domestic broiler production. About 80 percent of feed produced by commercial feed millers is layer feed. Broiler feed is primarily purchased by small-scale backyard poultry producers.
However, there is a seasonal feed demand from the larger producers who raise birds for the festive seasons. Poultry feed accounts for about 70 percent of total animal feed produced in Ghana.
Feed manufacturers in Ghana can be categorized into commercial feed millers and on-farm self-millers.
“Ghana has about 17 commercial feed mills with a total installed operating capacity of 1,000 metric tons (MT) per day. However, most feed millers are only producing at about 40 to 50 percent of their capacity due to low demand from the local poultry industry. The average amount of compound feed produced in Ghana is about 10,000MT annually in the past few years” according to the Ghana Poultry Project
Commercial feed millers supply poultry feed mostly to medium- and small-scale poultry producers because large-scale poultry producers mostly produce their own feed. Trade Poultry imports to Ghana keep increasing due to increasing demand and the decline in domestic commercial poultry meat production. Ghana poultry imports are supplied mainly from the United States, Brazil, and the EU.
Institutional Setting. The Animal Production Directorate (APD) and the Veterinary Services Directorate (VSD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) have the oversight responsibility of the Poultry sector and other animals/livestock. Whiles APD oversees production issues, VSD takes care of health. Their roles are to ensure effective and efficient implementation of government policies on livestock and poultry. The APD also controls feed quality both from local and imported sources and collects feed samples from commercial feed millers across the country for analysis.
The control and eradication of diseases are done by the Veterinary Services Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture through vaccination and quarantine. Importation of day-old chicks and poultry vaccines to Ghana are also controlled by the Veterinary Services Directorate.
Government Policy or Programs. To support the local poultry industry, in 2013 the Government of Ghana removed customs duties on poultry inputs such as feed, additives, drugs, and vaccines and has facilitated improved access to veterinary services.
Moreover, on the 15th of July 2014, the Broiler Revitalization Project was launched aiming to stimulate local broiler production. As part of the project, a new poultry and livestock import policy were designed to cut down the country’s importation of chicken meat. The policy limits imports to 60 percent, meaning that importers must buy 40 percent of their produce from local sources. The overall objective of achieving 40% local broiler sourcing and 60% imported broiler meat has not been achieved.
In 2017, the Government of Ghana also launched a flagship program, “Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ)”, aimed at creating food security and produce raw material to feed the agro-processing industries while creating jobs in the process.
According to the Ashanti regional director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the introduction of this program helped the poultry sector to cut down costs and decreased the number of imported feeds in the country; report by Daily Graphic.
On the 25th of June, 2019, the President of Ghana launched the “Rearing for Food and Jobs” campaign aimed at developing a competitive and more efficient livestock industry that will increase domestic production, reduce importation of livestock products, contribute to employment creation, and improve livelihoods of livestock value chain actors.
The government has set an ambitious target to invest in the poultry component of the program as a major step to stop the importation of chicken into the country.
According to the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the poultry component of “Rearing for Food and Jobs” is key to the government of Ghana because Ghana cannot continue to import USD 380 million of poultry meat every year when the country exported chicken to her neighbor 20 years ago: report by Daily Graphic.
Donor interventions in the Poultry Sector Currently, the only donor supporting the Poultry sector in Ghana is the United States Department of Agriculture through the Ghana Poultry Program. It is a five-year (2015- 2020) project being implemented by ACDI/VOCA and Technoserve to expand local production and processing of poultry meat and eggs in Ghana.
The project aims at increasing the competitiveness of the poultry value chain using an inclusive system approach. The target beneficiaries of the project include processors, input suppliers, financial institutions, business service advisors, and buyers. The project’s interventions are in four areas; capacity building, financial services, training, and market access.
Bottlenecks. Firstly, it’s no longer profitable to produce poultry products in the country because it ends up being highly expensive, whilst imports cost far less. This is because feed costs which constitute about 70% of overall production costs are unreasonably high in Ghana.
Secondly, the cost of other inputs including medication for the birds is unreasonably high.
Thirdly, the high cost of sources of energy is another big problem for local poultry producers.
Lastly, poultry producers struggle to get the market for their produce because imported chickens are cheaper.
Way forward in dealing with the Bottlenecks in the Poultry Sector I believe that increased government investments in the sector to produce better-quality day-old chicks and other inputs would really help. The Government must subsidize feed, and strengthen processing, and marketing facilities and ensure there is a stable electricity supply at the production centers at lower costs.
Conclusion. Ghana’s Agricultural Development Bank has announced a GHC500 million (US$ 87 million) loan facility in support of the government’s Broiler Revitalization Programme aimed at increasing the domestic production of chicken.
Dr. John Kofi Mensah, managing director of ADB, says that GHC25 million (US$ 4.3 million) has been approved for the initial phase of the project, which is for 6 broiler value chain players to produce and process over 100,000 birds weekly. Good news? Have the various interventions and that of the GHC500 million (US$ 87 million) loan achieved its intended purpose? How were the disbursements done? Did ADB consider a market for the birds? Are Poultry farmers enjoying a stable electricity supply?, Did ADB consider the high cost of quality blended feeds?, and Did ADB consider the cost of transporting birds?
Three women in Ghana’s agriculture value chain have been awarded by Guzakuza with the support from GIZ to highlight the achievements of exceptional women in the agribusiness industry who have risen above the limit in contributing to the development of agriculture and food security.
Women form the greater percentage in Ghana’s agriculture sector but little acknowledgement is giving to them, however, it is worthwhile to appreciate their effort by awarding them, therefore, GIZ Women in Agribusiness Awards.
At the awarding ceremony, the Project Lead of Guzakuza, Fortune Kyei in an address said the award scheme does not only celebrate the role of women in agriculture but it also aims at making women thrive through market linkage and mentoring programmes.
‘We want women to see agribusiness as an important tool that can change the lives of people and help address economic and social challenges. There is an important agriculture value chain that can help increase job creation. We believe that by awarding women in this sector, it will encourage others to explore the opportunities that are available”, she said.
She added that Guzakuza is poised to assist and acknowledge women in the agribusiness and call on all stakeholders in the value chain to assist in encouraging the women to produce good, healthy and safe food for the nation.
Delivering an address on behalf of the Country Director of GIZ, Detlev Axel Jahn, the Head of Programmes at GIZ said though Ghana should be commended for addressing and reducing gender inequalities, sustainable development cannot be realized if inequalities in the agric sector are not adequately addressed.
“Apart from structural disadvantages like access to finance, land, markets and business management skills, women often have lower confidence level in their abilities as entrepreneurs than their male counterparts, their networks tend to be smaller and less-diverse than men and they are less likely to seek the support of or use their social networks for business growth”, he mentioned.
He commended Guzakuza for their role in supporting women in the sector and pledged the organization’s preparedness to work with them to achieve their shared values.
The award winners lauded Guzakuza for recognizing their effort in the sector and pledged to work hard to contribute their quota for the development of the nation.
The awardees are; Juliana Asante-Dartey, the Executive Director of Agri-Impact Consult, Role Model Excellence Award, whereas Priscilla Nkrumah, the CEO of Achiepee Farms, in Kumasi won the Sustainable Green Innovation Award and Edith Akosah Wheatland, CEO of Rockland Farms and Eco Feeding in Ejura won the ‘Dare to Defy Award.
Guzakuza, founded in 2015 has supported 131 young women from 16 African countries with virtual and residential training, coaching, mentorship, internship, field visit, ready market for the women.
The Organization has over the years developed an ecosystem for women in agribusiness, inspiring them to be profitable, achieve sustainable growth and build resilience agribusiness in Africa with groundbreaking ideas to continuously raise entrepreneurs.
The CEO of Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Mrs. Delese Mimi Darko has cautioned oil palm producers in Ghana to desist from the use of Sudan IV in their oil palm production during the Palm Oil Goes Digital Launch at Mensvic Hotel, Accra.
She acknowledged the good initiative that Artisanal Palm Oil Millers and Out-growers Association have put in place to help curb the menace of SUDAN IV in Ghana, however, FDA would continue to work with the association to collect samples of the palm oil and test every year to sanction those who add unwholesome chemicals in their palm oil.
“We would sample and test all palm oil in the market to bring down all those who are using harmful chemicals for production, we are pleading with the producers, wholesalers, retailers, consumers, and the public to refrain from the use of Sudan IV in palm oil for the benefit of our health”, Mrs. Delese Mimi Darko added.
She encouraged the members of the Artisanal Palm Oil Millers and Outgrowers Association to educate palm oil producers on the effects of chemical additives on human health and bring members to the association to help curb the menace of SUDAN IV.
She urged the general public not to panic but to patronize the palm oil because FDA is working sedulously to bring down perpetrators in the sector.
Mr. Paul Amaning, the President of Artisanal Palm Oil Millers and Outgrowers Association assured the commitment of the association to work hard to assist the government and the FDA to curb the menace of the SUDAN IV.
According to him, agritech is critical to the development of the agriculture sector. The new technology in the oil palm sector that is the App would function to detect if the QR code of the branded palm oil is coming from an approved FDA or not before purchasing.
He added that the app would display information about the producer of the palm oil with their pictures and location for easy identification of the producer by the consumer.
He called on the general public to assist in combating this act by identifying producers who use SUDAN IV for production in their communities.
The SC719, Gyemedi in the local dialect is a high-yielding hybrid maize variety with drought-tolerant and stretch needs developed and imported by Seed Co West and Central Africa to alleviate the menace of food security in Ghana.
Maize is one of the staple foods in Ghana and its shortage coupling with price hikes is a critical issue to food security in the country, but with the farmers’ field day event of SC719 under 135 hectares observed at the Volta Region near Juapong indicates that there is hope to alleviating maize shortage in Ghana.
The objective of the SC719 farmers’ field day is to allow farmers to share knowledge and encourage the farmers to share information in order to have as many farmers as possible to improve productivity in Ghana. Having fertile land, and good agricultural practices, the variety of seed is a critical element to consider of which without good seed all effort is proven futile.
“When you look into our catalogues of crop varieties that we have released in Ghana, we have other hybrid seeds that farmers have the option to choose, but the most important thing that I have learned from this field visit is the best practices”, Dr. Solomon Ansah, the Deputy Director of Crop Service Directorate, Ministry of Food and Agriculture said.
According to Dr. Solomon, every seed goes with its own best practices therefore, it is very crucial that farmers comply with the good agricultural practices with regards to a particular kind of seed there are patronizing.
He urged the farm manager to document all the good agricultural practices that were involved in making the SC719 Seed Co seed a flourishing for other commercial farmers to emulate.
Wikus Venter, the Farm Manager said it is achievable for them to harvest 10 metric tons plus per hector of land by using Seed Co SC719 in Ghana. Seed Co seeds are reliable, their germination percentage is 99.5%, they have been treated with Syngenta products and the Seed Co agronomists visit the fields almost every two weeks during the production period making it the first option to choose.
“Seed Co seed we have planted is very strong against wind, there is no problem when the wind is blowing. Normally, the other varieties keep falling down when the wind blows but SC719 does not fall”, he uttered.
Wikus appealed to the Seed Co West and Central Africa to make availability and accessibility of the seed for other commercial farmers to patronize.
“For other farmers, I think the best way is to be close to Seed Co because they have a lot of resources; soil sampling, the type of agrochemical to use, and they have knowledge of growing maize to get the best yield per hector”, he added
To achieve maximum yield to feed Ghanaians, seed care is very crucial. “We believe that to make seed industry booming in Ghana, seed care is very important and we are coming out with additional foliar applications to control the Fall of Armyworms to aid in maximizing the yields potentials of our farmers and make sure that Ghana is a pedestal of feeding Africa”, Kingsley Adade, Country Manager of Syngenta Ghana explained.
Sharing information between and among commercial farmers on options and rightful means of achieving maximum productivity is very key to the development of Ghana’s agriculture, hence, the essence of the SC719 hue field demonstration.
Dr. Takemore Chagomoka, the Regional Manager of Seed Co West and Central Africa said it is very imperative to allow farmers to share knowledge and information to motivate commercial farmers in Ghana to improve productivity to solve food security issues in the country.
He explained that Seed Co West and Central Africa is determined to set up seed manufacturing in Ghana to produce seeds locally.
He called for more farmers and stakeholders’ participation to assist in addressing the maize shortage in the country by patronizing the reliable realistic maize variety SC719.
Some Civil Society organisations (CSOs), including the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFA) and the Centre for No-Till Agriculture, have advocated for a new policy that will gradually discourage the use of fertiliser while encouraging the adoption of agroecology in farming.
The CSOs argue that the world is moving from excessive usage of fertiliser to the application of agroecology techniques which provide an opportunity for increased food production while protecting the environment and biodiversity.
This, they say, will not just protect the environment but also prevent the instances of Ghanaian farm produce from being rejected during export.
“If you look all over the world the usage of fertiliser is coming down, but the reverse is the case here in Ghana. We have encouraged its usage to the extent that it is being abused,” said the Head of Programmes and Advocacy at the PFAG, Dr. Charles Nyaaba.
Speaking on a survey titled ‘Sustainable Farming and Political Participation of Small-Scale Farmers in Decision Making in Ghana’, Dr. Nyaaba disclosed that there is a general increase in the use of agrochemicals and mechanised farming practices across the country.
He stated that the use of organic fertilisation for soil fertility management is considerably higher in the northern part of the country compared to the south. “Farmers in the north were well aware of the decline in soil fertility, which they acknowledged was as a result of the increased use of agrochemicals,” he said – adding that the difficulty with agroecology farming in Ghana has got to do with getting labour and the high demand for fertiliser due to poor soils.
Providing details on the survey, he observed that key informants raised issues about policy inconsistencies, commodity price instability, and credit insufficiency as major concerns of farmers. He is of the opinion that there is a need to conduct an intensive campaign against the excessive use of agrochemical inputs and practices which degrade the soil’s fertility.
“Policymakers need to acknowledge the issue of commodity price instability since farm-gate prices are low and need to be standardised across production areas. There is a need for intensive research on organic fertiliser and agrochemicals,” he said.
Dr. Nyaaba expressed worry that a lot of farmers in the north are stuck with the usage of fertiliser compared to farmers in the southern part of the country.
He advocated that farmers should be introduced to other climate change adaptation strategies, and must be made to focus on empowering farmer organisations and linking them to strong markets in a value chain approach.
In addition, Dr. Nyaaba said farmers should be encouraged to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services in their communities by avoiding bush-burning.
Highlighting some steps taken by the government to create awareness on climate change, the Head of Environment and Climate Change at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Kingsley Amoako, said Ghana is implementing the Resilient Against Climate Change Project (REACH) which is a component of the EU’s national indicative programme, ‘Productive Investment for Agriculture in Savannah Ecological Zones’ funded by the 11th European Development Fund.
He explained that the overall objective of REACH is to foster a sustainable inclusive agricultural development supporting food security and steady income for communities in the Northern Savannah ecosystem of Ghana by 2025
“The specific objective of the programme is to establish the conditions for the sustainable and inclusive rural economy through the enhanced implementation of climate change adaptation and mitigation practices in agriculture at district and community levels,” he said.
The collapse of various agro-processing industries in Ghana is demoralizing making it seems nothing good could come out of the state-owned industries especially in the agriculture sector.
Recently, the series reportage made by most of the media houses has given a clear indication that most of the agro-processing industries in Ghana are collapsing. Notably, a report that the “Ekumfi Juice Factory has not shutdown, drought-affected our production” by the management is a threat to its sustenance.
The major threat of these all is the Mim Cashew shutdown resulting in more than 1,000 employees been laid off. The sector left for sustenance in terms of employability is the agriculture sector, therefore, seeing the collapse of such agro-processing industries in Ghana indicates that there is no strategic plan by the policymakers to sustain these industries for youth employment.
The question is, why are the state-owned agro-industries collapsing but the foreign agro-industries like Blue Skies and others surviving and making huge profits in Ghana?
Experts in the agriculture value chain have it that the lack of National Strategic Planning and Implementation is a result of the collapse of Ghanaian agro-processing industries.
Divine Morny, the CEO of GSM Centre of Entrepreneurship and Technology has bemoaned that Ghana allows anything and everything to operate using the little resources without a strategic focused framework.
“What is our national strategic focus in agribusiness?” he questioned. “We are a poor country and Adam Smith’s ‘Wealth of the nations’ theory must guide us”, he quoted.
According to him, the cost of raw material is a key factor in eventual output cost and the price to the consumer. “We must avoid setting up businesses without first of all securing cheap and abundant raw material supplies locally or internationally”, he added
He expounded that the global market opportunities must be focused and the long-term market prospects must be selected with the knowledge of the limited product markets. We marshal the resources to ensure the lead capture in the global share.
In conformity, the CEO of the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana, Anthony Morrison has once said that the agriculture sector needs the establishment of the Ghana Agriculture Regulatory Authority.
“We need to create the Ghana Agriculture Regulatory Authority, this has been long overdue. If we have this authority, we can now go ahead and create the Ghana Agriculture Information Management System. This can be used to coordinate the activities of all the research institutions connected to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture”, he said.
With the establishment of the Ghana Agriculture Regulatory Authority, a proper national strategic plan would be implemented to curtail these menace in the economic system.
