The Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture Ghana Hon. Alhaji Mohammad Hardi Tufeiru said agricultural exhibitions are strategic events organized all over the world by progressive countries seeking to promote agriculture and to fast-track economic growth on a sustainable basis.
The Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in Charge of Crops, Hon. Yaw Frimpong Addo, has called on Ghanaians to disregard the propaganda peddled by the opposition party, the National Democratic Congress’ Member of Parliament for the Asunafo South Constituency in the Ahafo Region, Hon. Eric Opoku, that Ghana imports huge tonnes of cassava from China to augment the country’s food stock.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has denied claims that Ghana imports cassava from China.
Ghana could face a shortage of tilapia in the market following the planned demolishing of the largest tilapia producing company located in Mpakadan in the Asuogyaman district of the Eastern Region by the Ghana Railways Development Authority (GRDA).
Ghana can significantly maximise benefits under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by promoting activities of agricultural aggregators – Professor Felix Asante, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Development-University of Ghana, has advocated.
As part of the Food and Drugs Authority’s (FDA) routine market surveillance activities on food safety in 2021, about 30% of palm oils found on the Ghanaian Market have failed the Authority’s nationwide Zero Sudan IV dye test, an increase from 7.3% in 2018.
Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG) has said the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs policy has failed considering the looming food shortage to hit the country.
Speaking to Joshua Kodjo Mensah on Starr Today, Monday, Director of Communications for FSG, Mr. Edwin Baffour cataloged some reasons that have contributed to the failure of the policy.
According to him, many farms in the country are less than five acres and most were not involved in the government’s Planting for Food and Job policy.
“We have in recent planting for food and job but I don’t think it has been successful as it been touted to be. Planting for Food and Jobs is a good initiative but I think it was hurriedly implemented as far as the policy aspect of it.
“You see at some point a big stakeholder group like the peasant farmer’s association was not involved in the policy formulation for Planting for Food and Job. They were called in after. I don’t know if the planting for food and job was structured to only help farms that were bigger than five acres,” Mr. Edwin quizzed.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the respect for small farmers. We think that it’s the poor mankind of farming because our ancestors who farm and the so-called poor farmer’s farm in a way that is sustainable. The kind of way the United Nations is now advocating,” he further disclosed.
The Director of Communication also added that food production must be sustainable and done in a way that would not affect the soil in any way adding creating an artificial ecosystem would not help the nation.
Governments around the world will soon need to choose between food oils and biofuels.
The country’s production rose 16 percent in 2021 above the production level in 2020 at a time concerns are raised over likely maize shortage as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Food production, processing, and trading in agric have changed over time. In contributing to food security in the extent of access, increased production, and reduce postharvest losses and technological upgrade to generate higher income, Wegvoraus with the support of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture Ghana has launched AgriTech West Africa 2022 at the Accra International Conference Centre in Accra.
