Former finance minister Dr. Kwabena Duffuor has described government’s planting for food and jobs as an initiative which had a good potential but was poorly executed.
He told host Julius Caesar Anadem on Ultimate FM’s Cup of Tea, that while empowering small-scale farmers was a positive move, the program could have achieved much more if it had included the private sector, public agencies, and commercial farmers.
Dr. Duffuor argued that, “farming is the backbone of Ghana’s economy and should be driven by innovation and modern techniques.
“Inputs must lead to higher output if there is sound management. But if the output is nothing to write home about, then it raises questions,” he said.”
He further criticized the program for failing to deliver meaningful improvements in productivity and farmers’ incomes.
“Farmers work so hard, but their incomes remain low because they are not being supported enough,” he said.
“If productivity were higher, their incomes would grow. Proper use of inputs should lead to better outcomes, but that hasn’t been the case,” the former Finance Minister added.
The Nana Akufo Addo administration spent a total of GH¢2.9 billion on its flagship planting for food and jobs program between the years 2017 and 2023 alone.
The government of Ghana allocated GH¢3.3 billion to the second phase of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) program, also known as PFJ 2.0.
The program aimed to ensure Ghana’s food security in grains like rice, maize, soya, and sorghum; Plantain, roots, and tubers like cassava and yam as well as Broiler production and processing.
Source : www.kumasimail.com /Priscilla Abrafi Sarpong
