Executive director of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), Charles Nyaaba, has expressed the need to mechanize the agric sector to boost productivity in the country to attract private sector participation.
According to him, mechanization of the sector will incentivize private sector players who feel demotivated by the several challenges confronting the sector to do so.
He revealed that with the proposed 24-hour economy policy by flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama, it will be beneficial to the agric sector once the necessary measures are put in place to help it thrive.
“The major challenge facing the sector at the moment has to do with labor. We are not getting labor which is scaring private persons from going into the sector. So, what we need to do is to begin to mechanize the sector to ensure that all our manual activities, as it’s done in developed countries like US, Brazil and other places – you see one person being able to cultivate over 1,000 acres.
“But in Ghana, if you do a farm of more than 50 acres, you’re likely not to be able to harvest because in the first place, to even get the mechanized machinery to prepare the land is a problem…”
Charles Nyaaba
Furthermore, Mr Nyaaba noted that there is also the need to ensure that government provides credit incentives for private people to take credit with low interest rates and as well procure mechanized machinery. Once that is done, he explained that government must equally create an enabling environment such as the construction of feeder roads to cart farm produce to cities.
“Those machineries would be able to work both day and night. We also need to automate the farming activities. If you take irrigation for instance, you don’t need people to be there to open water during daytime and to check whether the canals are full before they close them. If you automate it, automatically, you know that around this time these zones need this quantum of water and automatically the water moves to those areas.”
Charles Nyaaba
Commenting on the processing of raw materials, the executive director for PFAG highlighted that government must also necessarily ensure it mechanizes operations. With this, he stated that implementing strategies to ensure efficiency within that area will be good news for the sector.
“When it comes to processing, we also need to ensure that we mechanize it and then provide the necessary logistics. Today, most of the rice mills government supported people to buy are not operational because the energy cost is too high. So, how can we be able to introduce something like solar-powered energy so that people will be able to produce at daytime using the electricity and, in the nighttime, at least, they can switch to solar. Once we do all those things, to me, we will see more young people going into farming…”
Charles Nyaaba
Calls for broader consultation on 24-hour economy policy
Moreover, Mr Nyaaba urged the former President, John Mahama to engage in stakeholder consultation, especially on his proposed 24-hour economy policy. He further cautioned Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on his attack of the policy, insisting that because Ghanaians have warmed up to the policy, they don’t really care whether it’s being proposed by the opposition or the ruling party.
“My caution is for our leaders, especially our political leaders to learn to discuss politics objectively without looking at where those policies are coming from… There should be broad consultation. We have seen in the past where policies like this are not properly constructed, the main actors or beneficiaries who are supposed to ensure implementation are left out during drafting of the policy stage.
“So, if the former President means business, before they put this in their manifesto, they should do broad consultation, especially with the private sector because we are the main drivers of these policies…”
Charles Nyaaba
Meanwhile, a former Deputy Minister of Information, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has expressed that the proposed 24-hour economy by John Dramani Mahama is exactly what the youth needs.
According to him, the implementation of a 24-hour economy would lead to economic expansion, resulting in increased job opportunities for the youth.
“If you are a young person out there, the bottom line for you with JDMahama’s 24hr economy proposal is that he wants to create room for an expansion of economic activity so you can secure a job after the NPP’s destruction of the economy and severe limitation of fiscal space.”
Felix Kwakye Ofosu
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