Stakeholders in the agricultural sector in the country have called for urgent review of existing agriculture policies in the country to effectively harness resources to support industrialisation and transform the economy.
The stakeholders are advocating that those policies governing the sector should include the compulsory teaching of agricultural practices from the basic through to tertiary school to prepare students for the job market.
The stakeholders also suggested that policy needs should include the deployment and training of national service personnel along the agriculture value chain.
They made the call at a forum organised by Knox Consulting, an agribusiness consulting firm, for sector experts to brainstorm on gaps in the agricultural sector and proffer practical solutions towards making the sector vibrant and profitable.
It formed part of activities being rolled out by Knox Consulting with support from the SofTtribe under its “Bridging the Devices and Connectivity Gaps for Students in Agriculture in Ghana’’ project with the Mastercard Foundation.
The Ideas collated from the deliberations would offer project implementers ample tools to offer supplementary content for students in tertiary institutions, as well as provide an in-depth understanding of pertinent human resource bottlenecks affecting the industry.
Mr Serlorm Agudu, Chief Farmer at Urban Jungle Agro Industry said agriculture must be made a compulsory subject and introduced to pupils early to whip up enthusiasm.
“Currently, agriculture is an optional programme at the senior high school level. If we wait till, they are old before introducing them to the course, many will not show interest and it will be perceived as punishment.”
Mr Serlorm Agudu
Mr Agudu asserted that there should be an initiative that identifies and promotes successful farmers as ambassadors and role models to encourage young people to venture into agribusiness.
Mr Agudu emphasized that agribusiness could not thrive without strong partnerships and stressed the need for effective collaboration among scientists, farmers, financial institutions, policymakers, educationists, and consumers.
Mrs Sheila Assibey-Yeboah, the Managing Partner of Knox Consulting, said many graduates of agriculture opted for other jobs, leaving a hand-full actively practising in the sector.
“The trend is worrying, and counterproductive. There is a need to take deliberate action to train and retain graduates to grow the sector. An incentive mechanism must be established.
“We believe this is important in helping the project develop a comprehensive approach to bridging the current knowledge gap when fresh graduates enter the job market in the agriculture space.”
Mrs Sheila Assibey-Yeboah
Ghana remains a major importer of food products, with imports of agricultural and related products estimated to have reached $1.9 billion in 2021. Food and agricultural imports will continue to grow as Ghana’s underdeveloped food processing sector is unable to meet increasing demand.
Food imports mostly comprise bulk, intermediate, and consumer-oriented commodities such as rice, wheat, soybean meal, and poultry. U.S. exports of agricultural and related products to Ghana in 2021 were $156.6 million, an increase of about 48.0 percent over the previous year’s value ($105.6 million).
Therefore, with the review of the sector policies, Ghana could become self sufficient and lessen the importation of foreign agriculture products.
READ ALSO: We Will Give You 100 Percent On May 13– Okaikwei North MP Promises Mahama
