Government is gearing up to advance its pioneering agriculture initiative, “Planting for Food and Jobs,” to the second phase, President Akufo-Addo has announced.
He made this known during his address at the 4th European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East in Italy.
In the upcoming phase of the program, there will be greater involvement from the private sector, with a specific focus on attracting more youth participation in the agricultural sector.
Speaking at the 4th European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East in Italy, President Akufo-Addo emphasised Ghana’s successful attainment of food security through the program and stressed the importance of transitioning from import subsidies to an import credit scheme.
This transition is expected to drive greater investment and development in the agricultural value chain, ultimately boosting productivity and production in the sector.
“After six years of successful implementation, the programme has come up for review, and it is transitioning into phase two. It is called PFJ Phase Two and this phase will be expanded to achieve private sector participation with emphasis on value chain development. It is also a paradigm shift from import subsidy to import credit scheme, and it is designed to attract more investment in the agric sector and expected to increase productivity and production.”
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana has been advocating for a review of the initiative for some time, and the call for an update is now being heeded.
The then Agric Minister, Dr. Afriyie Akoto, had previously praised the success of the program, revealing that GHC2.6 billion had been spent on its implementation as of October 2022.
“Planting for Food and Jobs” is a significant agricultural campaign initiated by the government, encompassing five implementation modules.
The first module, PFJ (Crops), was launched by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on April 19, 2017, to promote food security, ensuring the availability of selected food crops in the market, and creating job opportunities.