84% score for the Agriculture Sector

The Patriotic Professionals Integrated – Ghana (PPI-Ghana), in its report on the assessment of the performance of the Akufo-Addo government on key sectors of the economy, has scored the Agriculture sector 84% for the investments, implementation of policies and progress made by the incumbent government.

The report indicates that the assessment of the government’s policy initiative, implementation of its flagship programmes was based on selected priority indicator performance.

“Priority indicators assessed were agricultural productivity and farming yield, food self-sufficiency and security, reduction in major staple food importation, agricultural job creation and protection, government’s technology for agriculture, mechanization and investments in the sector were also assessed,” the report reveals.

PPI-Ghana scored Akufo-Addo’s government 90% for agricultural policy initiatives, stating that the government’s ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ (PFJ), ‘Planting for Export and Rural Development’ (PERD), ‘Rearing for Food and Job’, ‘One Village One Dam’ and ‘One District One Warehouse’ were rated as highly innovative and result oriented.  It scored the government 92% in implementing the ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ (PFJ) which was adjudged the most successful policy, adding that PFJ has provided support to more than 1.49 million farmers.

“Under the ‘Planting for Export and Rural Development’ (PERD) at least 16.2 million quality seeds were supplied to 65,474 farmers. We found in our analysis, the potential for Ghana to become the food basket in West Africa through the ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ programme. Our evaluation shows a resulting increased yield, food sufficiency, job creation, food crop exportation, the potential to largely realize the ‘1 district 1 factory’ and significant economic growth potential. Food commodity surplus has led to more than 500,000 tons of food commodities including maize, yam, plantain, cashew, citrus, pawpaw and ginger were exported to neighbouring West African countries including Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire between 2017 and 2018.”

The government scored 87% in agricultural productivity and farming yield. PPI-Ghana notes that the government’s ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ (PFJ), has largely contributed to significantly improved productivity and farming yield, resulting in food surplus. Maize productivity rose from 1.8 tonnes per hectare in 2016 to 3.8 tonnes per hectare in 2019, while paddy rice increased from 2.9 tonnes per hectare to 4.3t/Ha within the same period.

In ensuring food sufficiency and security, PPI-Ghana scored Akufo-Addo 85%, noting that the abundance of food was as a result of the introduction of PFJ.  On the reduction of importation of major staple foods such as rice, the government scored 75%. The report indicates that Ghana did not import maize in 2018. PPI-Ghana considered factors such as increased domestic rice production which has raised the share of domestic rice. Government’s project to increase the use of improved high yielding and disease resistant rice seeds by farmers, the use of low-cost water management practices and acquisition of rice milling machines is expected to further increase rice production.

The Akufo-Addo government scored 75% under the use of technology for agriculture. PPI-Ghana considered the use of drone technology for spraying pesticides, applying fertilizer, monitoring crop health and output and assessed the supply improved seeds and fertilizer by the government to farmers. The noted that improved seeds were supplied to 600,000 farmers in 2018.

PPI-Ghana scored the NPP government 92% for pest management and emergency response by assessing the government’s emergency response action and initiative including the establishment of a system to deal with notable farm pests, in particular the Fall armyworm. The report notes that the government’s prompt and decisive action in 2017 to deal with the Fall armyworm invasion resulted in the recovery of 131,000 hectares out of 144, 000 hectares of land affected.

On agricultural job creation and protection, PPI-Ghana scored the government 85% while indicating that the PFJ has provided support to over 1.4 million farmers and created some 900,000 jobs with at least 2700 extension officers being employed. This has contributed to reducing poverty of rural and agricultural populations. The assessment on this category took into consideration the impact of PFJ on agricultural jobs in Ghana where farming is the mainstay occupation, particularly among rural populations.