Planting for Food and Jobs has been a success – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has described the Planting for Food and Jobs programme a “big success” following its introduction in April last year.

Addressing the media at the second edition of his encounter with the press Wednesday at the Flagstaff House in Accra, the President noted that the programme has resulted in an increase in yields of maize and rice.

“Reports indicate that the planting for food and jobs campaign which registered over 200,000 farmers in the 2017 crop season has been a big success,” he said.

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President Akufo-Addo expressed his satisfaction in the institutional sub-programmes of the campaign, saying, “the youth and agriculture programme of the planting for food and jobs 10,000 youth were supported to cultivate 800 hectares and 10,320 hectares of rice and maize respectively. Under the campaign, average yields of maize and rice has increased and our warehouses are filling up.”

He added that, while the full picture of the success of the Planting for Food and Job campaign is yet to emerge, “it is noteworthy that many farmers have expressed satisfaction that for the first time in a long while, a deliberate government policy has helped to boost their harvest.”

“We are doing things differently and we are seeing the results,” he said.

The Planting for Food and Jobs programme was launched in April 2017 to among other things encourage the youth to desist from migrating elsewhere in search of non-existent jobs.

The programme is expected to increase the production of maize by 30 per cent; rice by 49 per cent; soybean by 25 per cent; and sorghum by 28 per cent from current production levels.

The Planting for Food and Jobs programme is also expected to create 750,000 jobs in both direct and indirect employment.