Businessman has suggested to the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, to discontinue the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) scheme.
Dumelo asserted that the PFJ initiative, introduced by President Akufo-Addo in 2017, has turned into a channel for corruption.
He encouraged the minister to allocate funds for irrigation infrastructure, enabling farmers to maintain productivity during the dry season.
In a tweet seen by the Independent Ghana (TIGPOST), Business, Dumelo said, “If I were to advise the Agric Ministry, the first thing I would say is to scrap the Planting for Food and Jobs program. It has been a conduit for corruption and underperformance.”
The farmer added, “Invest heavily in irrigation for dry-season farming. The reason peppers, tomatoes, and onions are expensive now is that we don’t produce enough during the dry season. Our neighbors, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, have recognized this gap and invested heavily in irrigation to produce these food items for us during the dry season.”
The Planting for Food and Jobs initiative was unveiled by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on April 19, 2017, with the aim of modernizing agriculture, enhancing production efficiency, ensuring food security, and boosting farmers’ profitability.
President Akufo-Addo stated that the initial phase of the initiative benefited over 2.7 million farmers and other participants in the value chain through its five components.