The founding director of the West Africa Heart for Crop Advancement is contacting for the establishment of a Countrywide Agriculture Authority (NAA) to regulate and oversee the transformation of agriculture for socio-economic progress underneath the Ghana Past Assist Initiative.
Prof. Eric Danquah also wishes govt to set up a Nationwide Agriculture Enhancement Fund into which funding to the tune of at minimum 1% of Ghana’s GDP will be invested to finance the progress of the agricultural sector.
The non-public sector will also be encouraged to add to the enhancement of the country via that fund.
The College of Ghana professor wants the fund and authority to be founded by an act of parliament.
The authority will be liable for oversight of agricultural training, research, innovation and enhancement, as well as modernize agriculture by the growth of commodity price chains.
He is proposing that the fund to be founded is managed by the Nationwide Agriculture Authority and a Scientific Advisory Committee with representation from a variety of science organisations.
“It is critical that the composition of the NAA which really should have representation from the sector Ministries of Agriculture, Training, Finance and Atmosphere, Science, Technologies and Innovation is thoroughly reasoned and really should not sacrifice meritocracy,” he reported.
Prof. Danquah was speaking all through a webinar session organised by the Alliance for a Inexperienced Revolution in Africa (AGRA) on the effect of Covid-19 pandemic on the agricultural sector in Ghana.
He observed food systems are extremely susceptible to shocks and the Covid-19 pandemic is just a further warning signal for the reason that there could be more devastating shocks in the foreseeable future.
“These are not normal periods. Presented that the Covid-19 pandemic is just a warning signal and there could be far more devastating future activities, Ghana need to choose its potential in its individual fingers and remodel its agriculture to safe the future of the state as properly as generate socio-financial improvement. A perfectly-funded Nationwide Agriculture Authority to be founded by law with independent powers is certainly the way to go,” he reported.
“The agricultural sector need to be the crucial driving drive for nationwide development and this pandemic plainly obligates us to take urgent action to increase efficiency in our commodity worth chains. We are unable to attain food stuff and diet protection by performing small business as standard. We would be reckless to consider so,” Prof. Danquah noticed.
“A having difficulties country which expended around $2 billion on meals imports in 2019 by yourself should really be pretty troubled about the long run due to the fact hard times lie in advance and the casual food items devices and dependency on exports involve that we imagine out of the box in proffering methods,” he added.
The webinar by AGRA was below the topic ‘Impact of Covid-19 on Agriculture in Ghana: Reaction of the seed sector.’
“We ought to acquire strategies to be self-reliant in investigation, innovation and growth. We should make certain that our national study institutions which includes the universities (which must be hubs for innovation) and their partners are nicely established up to provide an uninterrupted plan to get enhanced, healthy and resilient versions to farmers and markets.
“Modern storage technologies to minimize food spoilage are also urgently required to build reserves to guarantee best extended-term storage.
“Agriculture driven by science and engineering must underpin our nationwide progress agenda. We simply cannot await the passage of the Plant Breeders Invoice to travel a far more aggressive seed market for foodstuff and diet stability,” he additional.
He referred to as for enhanced funding and general public and personal sector collaboration to accelerate the improvement of the region.
Executive Secretary of the Countrywide Seed Trade Association of Ghana (NASTAG) Augusta Nyamadi Clottey who participated in the webinar noticed Covi-19 will push the gamers in the seed marketplace further to operate more challenging to encouraging local creation of top quality seeds.
Dr. Solomon Gyan Ansah who is a Deputy Director of Agriculture and Head of the Seed Device at the Directorate of Crop Solutions of the Ministry of Food items and Agriculture pointed out agricultural extension is important if farmers can be encouraged to adopt improved seeds like hybrids.
He called for smart techniques of extension in the gentle of Covid-19 which includes digital methods that utilizes applications like cellular telephones.
Josiah Wobil who is chairman of the National Seed Council Ghana termed for a re-positioning of the agricultural sector so it can play far better part in the growth of the nation.
Benjamin Adjei who is the Assistant Agent to Ghana for the Meals and Agriculture Corporation of the United Nations (FAO) reported it is significant that just about every nation operates toward enhanced seed safety.
He named for the improvement of capacities and institution of much more infrastructure locally to make certain a sustainable seed program in the place.
