The Department of Food and Agriculture in the Ahafo Region has launched the Phase Two (II) of the Planting for Food and Jobs.
Welcoming the participants, Mr Kingsford Nyame, the Ahafo Regional Director for Food and Agriculture briefed the house on how the planting for food and Jobs Phase I was implemented in April 2017 and its achievements so far.
He said during Phase I, the government did very well by providing fertilizers to achieve its course.
He further highlighted that the major reason for the implementation of the PFJ 1 was to improve food security, reduce poverty and create employment opportunities, he emphasised.
Mr Nyame said the implementation of the PFJ 1 was faced with some challenges, including the shortage of fertilizers during the Russian-Ukraine war.
Mr. Isaac Kofi Amponsah, the Ahafo Regional Crops Officer said the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative hinges on five thematic pillars which include; improved seed production and promotion, increased fertilizer usage and promotion for increased productivity, promoting and strengthening marketing linkages , improved Extension Services and E-fertilizer and Monitoring.
Additionally Mr. Amponsah said “the region has limited vegetable seeds under the PFJ Campaign. Again, the Covid-19 affected participation of farmers in meetings, demonstrations and other agricultural training, activities into adherence to Covid-19 protocol and restrictions, weak marketing linkages, late delivery of inputs by distributors and so forth”.
He however gave assurance that the challenges are being addressed.
Mr. Amponsah said, to achieve greater impact, there is the need to strengthen stakeholder’s engagement in the form of training and information sharing at all levels of implementations.
Mr. Dennis Danquah, the Ahafo Regional Extension Officer, said, with the PFJ phase II, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is replacing the subsidy system with the input credit system where aggregators will have access to credit guarantees to procure improved inputs for farmers on zero-interest credit terms.
He said that to participate in this initiative, one must be a Ghanaian with a valid Ghana Card, must have access to Land (litigation free), be engaged or willing to engage in any of the prioritised commodities and be recognised institution, he emphasised.
