The Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, Ron Strikker has urged the government of Ghana to focus on producing food locally to avoid the annual import at the cost of $2M.
Ron Strikker said for the country to achieve the vision of Ghana Beyond Aid, the agriculture sector must be position in a manner that will make it contribute largely to the growth of the economy.
According to him, Ghana has the green lands and skill set to produce most of the foods being imported like rice, sugar, frozen chicken and oil.
Speaking at the launch of the first Value Added Agriculture Expo in West Africa, Ron Strikker stated that, agricultural investments like the Planting for Food and Jobs, 1D-1F, distribution of fertilizers, mechanizing and making Agriculture attractive to especially the youth, would promote trade and economic growth.
“The government of Ghana accords high priority to making agriculture a top sector in Ghana, initiatives like Planting for Foods and Jobs and the prominent position of agriculture in the 2018 budget is proof†he added.
The unattractive nature of the agriculture sector makes it difficult for individuals to invest. The sector mainly dominated by informal farming do not yield the needed revenue for the country.
Ghana currently imports $2M worth of food annually to be able to fill the basket of the country, most of these heavily imported products are rice, chicken among others.
The Value-Added Agriculture Expo in West Africa being organized by Reed Exhibition and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) with support from other organizations in Ghana is expected to take place in Accra, Ghana from August 2-4.
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