$113m initiative for agric sector launched
A $113-million initiative to modernise agriculture practice in the country, “Ghana Agricultural Sector Investment Programme” (GASIP) has been launched.
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The six-year project would focus on promoting and scaling up agricultural value chains in the country and also address some of the challenges faced by farmers in the country such as land preparation, planting, harvesting, value-addition and marketing of farm produce.The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is supporting the implementation of the programme in collaboration with the government.
GASIP
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, who announced this at the Northern Regional launch and sensitisation forum on GASIP in Tamale last Monday, said the initiative was designed to be private-sector led and demand-driven in approach to facilitate and promote agribusiness.
“ GASIP is going to publish a call for proposals where various chain actors such as agricultural producers, processers and marketers will submit their proposals for support from GASIP. The proposals would then be evaluated to see how those businesses if supported wiould ultimately increase the incomes of smallholder farmers especially the rural poor”, he explained.
Youth in agric
Alhaji Limuna added that one of the priority areas of his ministry under the project was how to attract the youth and women into agriculture. “We are finding ways to make agriculture attractive to the youth while ensuring gender-sensitivity in our interventions and policies,” he further indicated.
According to him, “we are ensuring the availability of equipment such as tractors and accessories. The youth will get into agriculture only when they see the profits due to higher productivity and quality commodities with reliable markets.”
Growth
The minister also used the occasion to set the records straight as regard to the growth and contributions of the agriculture sector to the national economy, saying the sector grew by 2.4 per cent in 2015. He debunked the assertion that the sector grew by 0.04 per cent as being speculated by opponents of the ruling government. “The agriculture sector of the country is vibrant and it is not dyeing as it is being speculated,” he stated.
Objectives of GASIP
The National Programme Coordinator of GASIP, Mr Roy Ayariga explained that the overall objective of the programme was to make Ghanaian farmers, especially smallholder farmers increase their yields and produce to meet international standards.
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He said GASIP would support agribusinesses and farmer based organisations with tools and instruments such as technology and extension services, matching grants in the form of subsidy financing for the purchase of agricultural machinery and equipment, value chain infrastructure such as feeder roads, irrigation schemes, warehouses and access to funds through linkages to financial institutions.