The Ministry for Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has urged commercial banks in Ghana to contribute meaningfully to agriculture by making available credit facilities to farmers.
According to the sector Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, it is worrying that commercial banks are reluctant to support farmers.
“Ideally, the banks are supposed to provide you (the farmers) with credit facilities to enable you to expand production. But that has not been the case;To the extent that the President even held a meeting involving the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, myself, and all the Managing Directors of the banks in the country at the Jubilee House. At the said meeting, I spoke at length about the need for the banks to support the government in the agricultural sector.”
Akoto Afriyie Akoto
The Minister, who is passionate about the issue, indicated that in India, for instance, over the last 30 years, banks allocate a certain amount of their lending monies to the agriculture sector.
Dr. Akoto made these assertions while addressing a durbar of poultry farmers at the Dormaa Municipal Assembly in the Bono Region as part of his tour of the region.
“Now, what we need to do is compel the banks to allocate their resources towards supporting agriculture in the country. When that is not done, agriculture, the backbone of the Ghanaian economy, will continue to suffer.”
Dr. Akoto Afriyie
He disclosed that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is there to support farmers through various policies and not financially, because the “Ministry of Agriculture is not a banking institution.”
Agric Minister pledges to build laboratory for poultry farmers
In the wake of a looming global food shortage, Dr. Akoto said Ghana is fortunate to have food in abundance, however, the problem is rising food prices which are attributed to the high cost of transportation.
He, therefore, assured farmers that the government is not relenting in its efforts to ameliorate their plights.
On the issue of a laboratory in the region, the Minister assured the region that plans are far advanced to build a laboratory stocked with medicines to take care of the poultry in the region.
Bono Regional Director of Agric disclose successes in the sector
Earlier, a durbar was held at the Bono Regional Coordinating Council where a presentation was done by the Bono Regional Director of Agriculture, Dennis Abugri Amenga.
He disclosed that there has been a boost in rice production this year, adding that the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) has contributed immensely to this success story.
He stated that the fall armyworm has been dealt with this year which did not affect much of the crops.
“The outbreak of Bird flu and African Swine fever has caused many deaths of animals, but as of now, the disease is under control by the intervention of veterinary doctors.”
Dennis Abugri Amenga
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