Accra: Discussants at a day’s sensitisation workshop in Tamale on the government’s Feed Ghana Programme have identified several challenges that need to be addressed to ensure the programme’s success.
According to Ghana News Agency, the discussants pointed out issues such as the inadequate number of motorbikes for extension officers to monitor farmer activities, insufficient resources allotted by the government for farmer registration, and a lack of experts and officers to support the registration processes. These factors were noted as significant obstacles affecting the registration exercise.
The participants proposed that the government should take a more active role, offering substantial subsidy packages as incentives while allowing only minimal private sector participation. This approach, they argued, would ensure that farmers receive a larger share of the benefits, thereby positively impacting citizens and fulfilling the programme’s objectives.
The workshop aimed to educate farmers and stakeholders on the Feed Ghana Programme, outlining its objectives, registration process, and opportunities. The event was organised by the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, with support from STAR Ghana Foundation. It attracted farmers, extension officers, and representatives from Farmer-Based Organisations (FBOs) across the Northern Region.
Mr Felix Oteng Dwaah, the Monitoring and Education Officer at the Northern Regional Department of Agriculture, explained that the Feed Ghana Programme intends to transform the agricultural sector by ensuring food security, creating sustainable jobs, and reducing import dependency while boosting domestic production and exports. He stressed that only FBOs would be registered and not individuals, and that each group could only register for one crop. This year, inputs will be provided free to registered farmers, but costs would be partially borne by them in subsequent years.
Mr Dwaah also highlighted that the Northern Region was leading in farmer registration, with plans to distribute 10,000-day-old chicks to each constituency to enhance poultry production.
Hajia Hawa Musah, Director of the Northern Regional Department of Agriculture, encouraged farmers to register and benefit from the programme, emphasizing the necessity of registration to participate.
Mr Isaan Pabia, a farmer at the workshop, called for government intervention in market pricing, arguing that current prices prevent farmers from breaking even. He advocated for government control over the market to foster growth in the agricultural sector.
Participants also urged for increased budgetary allocation to agriculture, the provision of climate-smart inputs to address climate change, and ensuring that political appointees to the sector possess practical agricultural experience.
Mr Bismark Owusu Nortey, Acting Executive Director of PFAG, guided attendees through PFAG’s monitoring and evaluation template, encouraging active participation in the programme.