Pres. Akufo-Addo launches phase 2 of Planting For Food and Jobs | The Big Stories
Pres. Akufo-Addo launches phase 2 of Planting For Food and Jobs | The Big Stories
#AMShow
#TheBigStories
#MyJoyOnline
https://www.myjoyonline.com/ghana-news/
Subscribe for more videos just like this:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChd1DEecCRlxaa0-hvPACCw/
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joy997fm
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Joy997FM
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3J2l57
Click on this for more news:
https://www.myjoyonline.com/
#AMShow
#TheBigStories
#MyJoyOnline
https://www.myjoyonline.com/ghana-news/
Subscribe for more videos just like this:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChd1DEecCRlxaa0-hvPACCw/
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joy997fm
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Joy997FM
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3J2l57
Click on this for more news:
https://www.myjoyonline.com/
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 And you're welcome back. Let's talk about Endpoint Homeopathic Clinic because
00:04 they are offering a free prostate screening and free female fertility
00:09 screening and the location of that facility is there on the Accra Spintex
00:16 Road opposite Shell signboard so you can get them here in Accra. But for those of
00:22 you who are watching us in Kumasi you can get them somewhere around the
00:26 Kronum Abuahia behind the Angel Educational Complex. For those of you in
00:32 the western region you can find them entirely that's the Anaji Estate Temak
00:39 Community 22 for those of you around that enclave and Techiman as well you
00:44 can get the clinic there it's at Hansua around Isiama in Zimaf. So you can call
00:54 the Endpoint Homeopathic Clinic on 0244 867 068 you can also reach them on
01:02 0274 234 321 and you will be in touch with them and Endpoint Homeopathic
01:11 Clinic says that the end to your chronic diseases is with them. But we know that
01:17 water is life. WIC is a premium purified water treated through a strict
01:22 purification process to ensure that every bottle on the market refreshes you
01:29 better. They have the perfect sizes for all of the purposes that you can think
01:33 of 330 ml and 500 ml bottles to fit your pockets and bags 750 for the heavy
01:41 drinkers and 1.5 litres for those who always want more. They also have the 19
01:50 litre bottle and that's very ideal for homes and offices as well. So all you
01:56 must do now is to drink a WIC purified drinking water and wherever you go just
02:02 choose a bottle of a WIC purifying drinking water today and get a quality
02:08 hydration system. It's very necessary a WIC purified drinking water one for life.
02:14 So remember for every bottle that you buy on amount is also being donated to
02:20 the National Cardiothoracic Center. Another quality product by
02:24 Casaproco Company Limited and if you want bulk purchases you can reach them
02:28 on 0262 351 251. So 0262 351 251 and this
02:37 outfit is approved by the Food and Drug Authority. And so that's it for a WIC
02:43 purified water. But don't forget that we're also having this big conversation
02:48 around dealing with our high import bill when it comes to rice importation.
02:55 Because government has launched the phase two of a planting for food and
02:58 jobs campaign which is targeted to reach out to some 1.2 million farmers. But how
03:04 is that addressing our needs when it comes to cereals especially rice because
03:08 that's one of the highest leading the import bills that we have as a country.
03:14 And there are significant examples that we can point to from across the world
03:17 but here's what you need to know that in 2020 rice was Ghana's third highest
03:22 import with a whopping import value of some 391 million dollars only behind
03:29 refined petroleum and car import. So you have some of the items there refined
03:34 petroleum, car, rice is coming through in that third spot with a red bar graph for
03:40 you just to indicate the levels that we have 391 million US dollars as the
03:45 amount involved just coming close to cars. It tells you how dependent we are
03:50 on that sector in terms of importation of rice. There's also refined petroleum. So
03:57 taking a look at how you know these are all key utilities for us it appears that
04:04 rice is also featuring on that list. But it's not really beneficial to us as a
04:09 country because the government spends as much as some 6.874 billion
04:17 Ghana's to this on the importation of rice. If we could have saved that and
04:20 within our domestic economy that would have transformed a lot of things for us.
04:26 But looking at the journey from 2017 to where we are now it's not helping at all.
04:30 And according to the data from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture total
04:34 rice consumption in 2020 amounted to about 1,450,000 metric tons which is
04:42 equivalent to some per capita consumption of about 45 kg per annum. And
04:51 it's beginning to raise concerns about how the country can significantly deal
04:57 with that looking at the fact that when it comes to milled rice production
05:00 domestically we're not doing much. Our maximum metric tons is somewhere around
05:05 622,000 as compared to the average that we see on of some
05:14 401,000 metric tons. We also have the minimum production level for milled rice
05:20 being 181,000 metric tons and this is all sourced from the Ministry of Food
05:27 and Agriculture. But you cannot of course talk about imports without
05:33 looking just opposing that to our local production. Local production appeared to
05:38 be dropping significantly. It did from 2012 or somewhere around 2013 to 2014
05:47 then we began to improve the policies towards improving the production. It
05:53 went up by some 54% all the way to 56% and when we got to 2017 the figures
05:59 began to drop again pointing us to where we are now. But let's get to it as to how
06:08 we can help address the problem because this is very much of importance to our
06:14 food security as a country. I'll be telling you about those helping us with
06:19 the discussion shortly and pointing you to my guests for today who have
06:26 immense experience when it comes to helping out some other industries to be
06:32 food secure when it comes to rice production. Ibrahim Daona Odrum is an
06:36 agribusiness consultant. Yawa Dupoko is the chairperson of the competitive
06:40 African rice platform GH and Anthony Morrison is a CEO of agribusiness. Good
06:46 morning gentlemen and let me start off with you Mr. Odrum because you've had
06:50 the experience of working in other territories specifically Nigeria because
06:55 that's a good example for us. That country you know has very very strict
06:59 laws when it comes to showing up local rice production. How can we start
07:05 learning the lessons from such economies and improve and show up our production
07:10 here? Morning. Am I online? We're with you sir. Okay. Oh it's a matter of imagining
07:25 how we want to do it, designing, then executing and then creating what we want
07:34 done. Let me first say good morning to your viewers and also to congratulate
07:42 the minister for the launch of the improve planting for food and job
07:49 program. I want to commend him for the effort that he put in by bringing almost
07:56 all stakeholders on board. This is the first step. He brought almost all
08:03 of us on board. We sat down with him and then we imagined what we wanted to do
08:09 with other food crops as well and then he went to Parliament, he went to
08:17 cabinet to seek approval and that is what was launched yesterday. I want to
08:22 commend him really for that effort. That is a first step towards the question
08:28 that you ask. In Nigeria what we did, we had a concept. We imagined what we wanted
08:37 to do and then we followed a blueprint and because we followed a blueprint we
08:44 were able to achieve what was desired by the whole country to do through the
08:51 various stakeholders on the right value chain. I see and in fact it yielded some
09:01 results you agree but then if we were to immediately kick start that conversation
09:06 here in Ghana, what should be on top of the agenda for policymakers specifically
09:10 knowing now that the planting for food and jobs campaign is in its second phase
09:15 which the president launched? What is important is all captured in the
09:22 document that was launched yesterday. In fact at a meeting we realized that we
09:31 have to put the private sector in the forefront of the whole crusade. If we
09:38 don't tackle the program from the private sector led basis, we won't get any
09:47 place. So the minister have actually bought into the idea that everything
09:53 about planting for food now is going to be privately led and by engaging various
10:00 stakeholders, by engaging various interested parties, I'm sure we'll be
10:06 able to make it this time around. I see. Anthony Morrison, planting for food and jobs
10:14 now in phase two. The concern of some experts and industry players is let's
10:19 now go big on rice.
10:23 Anthony? We seem to be having a challenge reaching Anthony Morrison this
10:37 morning but Mr. Yaduboko is with us, he's with the competitive African rice
10:42 platform. Mr. Yadubo, the point about finding space for rice production in PFJ2
10:50 at least when the basis was being formed for the planting for food
10:56 and jobs campaign, the sector minister indicated that cereals are of concern to
11:01 him. How do we find a much more wider space for rice production as we
11:06 roll out phase two?
11:15 Mr. Yadubo, are you still with us? Can you hear me now? Loud and clear, sir. Yeah, I said
11:22 actually the answer you are looking for is sitting right in front of you. That
11:27 answer is Honorable Gimauldu. He was one of the architects of the success of the
11:36 Nigerian experiment. He lives with us. He is very passionate about farming, especially
11:43 rice. So where do we get all these challenges from? But thank God, yesterday
11:49 the young, vibrant minister relearned the planting for food and jobs. But the first
11:55 question I want to ask, planting for food and jobs, the first leg, where is the data?
12:05 What did we achieve out of it? After all the funds that was spent in the Achinga
12:15 project? That will inform us as to the next step that we are going into. But for
12:22 once, I see almost all the stakeholders gathered around the minister and that is
12:30 a good omen. But then, we need to get the minister to understand that if we need,
12:40 for example, 100 cities to get a project done and done properly, five cities will not do the
12:49 project, ten cities will not do the project. We need to get at least 80 cities to 90
12:55 cities and they will know that their project will come to fruition. So we are all with him and
13:04 going to see what will happen with this second phase. Yes, we're all a bit about
13:12 the second phase and Mr. Odum, the point about, you know, having the farmers at the
13:19 centre of the policy, it's been a challenge over the years. The fact that
13:23 we draw up the policies, we're not mindful of the unique, you know,
13:27 circumstances under which all of these small-scale farmers find themselves.
13:34 That will be crucial for the success of this phase two of the policy, you agree?
13:39 Yeah, yeah, it's true. You see, POKU was there in a meeting at African Development
13:46 Bank, where they wanted to do a phase two of a project in the north. And we went
13:52 there and it was like a doctor who has prescribed without listening to the
13:59 patient of what must be done. So we all spoke against it. It was started
14:07 by one professor. He wanted to find answers and then the African Development
14:12 people wanted to dodge behind bureaucracy. Then we said, no way, you cannot sit
14:18 somewhere in Abidjan and prescribe without coming to meet the stakeholders.
14:24 This is exactly what was happening before. And that is why I'm commending
14:30 the Minister, this Minister, for engaging the stakeholders. Because we are on the
14:36 field and we know the challenges and we know how it can be done. So if you
14:43 don't involve us, how can you sit in the comfort of your room and then do some
14:48 prescription for us? It won't work. And if you do it and we are going to apply it,
14:55 how do we do it? Especially when we don't know how you wanted it to be done. So the
15:04 step that the Minister has taken, like POKU has said, is the best way. And almost all
15:11 of us who are part of the discussion, we have pledged our support and that is
15:17 exactly what we will do. And for private sector investment too, would you say that what we
15:28 have now is sufficient or there'll be a need for much more to happen?
15:32 It won't do for Ghana because look at the staggering figures that you give.
15:39 Mr. Oduma, I guess you missed that. I was just asking about private sector investment
15:44 as well. Do we have enough here in the country or there'll be a need to show up the numbers?
15:49 Hello?
15:50 Mr. Oduma, I was just asking about private sector investment, that aspect. I mean, are
16:02 we doing well as a country or there'll be a need for more?
16:05 Yeah, we're currently, I would say, not very well. But it's all because the sector didn't
16:12 have any structured model to engage or to attract the private sector. Now, for instance,
16:22 what the government is doing at Sopoli, that economic enclave where they have started advertising
16:30 people can do agriculture without even going to the farm. You only bring your money onto
16:36 a platform and you have seen 20, 30 acres being done in your name. At the end of the
16:43 day, everything is very transparent. Your investment and then your profit will come
16:49 out just like that. These are some of the structures we need to put in place. These
16:54 are some of the structures that we recommended and the minister agreed to work on, which
17:00 he has worked on. So we are waiting patiently for the start of the project and definitely
17:07 we are going to make it.
17:09 The elephant in the room?
17:10 With RISE, you don't need so many years. Two, three years, you'll be able to make significant
17:18 impact.
17:19 Wow, amazing. The elephant in the room, as I was pointing to, the issue about import
17:25 restrictions, government interventions, possibly just as the likes of Nigeria has done.
17:33 Would that be the way to go?
17:37 We did a road map. When we started and we were making the e-roads, then we started concertising
17:47 with the government that we are at this level. We are coming to this level next year. Next
17:53 two years we'll be here. So we want you also to reciprocate by doing this and that and
17:59 that. This is how we did it. You cannot just stand up one day and say you are banning the
18:04 importation of rice. It doesn't work that way. You have to gradually do it in such a
18:10 way that you don't let the consumers suffer.
18:14 Yes, that's a critical point to take a look at. For you, Mr Pokudi, a point about trying
18:22 to draw a road map or going at it at once, banning the importation, so as to show up
18:29 or put pressure on the local economy for us to show up the production. Which would be
18:34 the optimum way to tackle that?
18:36 Hello, Yaupoku.
18:51 Looks like...
18:52 Can you hear me now?
18:53 Yes, I can hear you, sir.
18:54 Sir, the truth is that we are not in a position to ban the importation of rice. Even onion,
19:00 we are not in a position to ban. Simply because we need to fill the gap and we are not ready
19:06 to fill that gap yet. So we have to let it be a gradual process. Like Mr Jumodun said,
19:14 about two, three years and then I think we'll be there. The sad story is that they don't
19:19 have abundance of land. The traditional rulers are more than eager to keep their lands out
19:26 from farmers. And we have a whole army of farmers who are willing and ready to go in
19:33 there and farm. The point is that the yield is terrible because we don't get the needed
19:39 infrastructure and training. And so our price is so high, it cannot even compete with the
19:46 imported rice. That is one thing we need to tackle. The other one is that rice is not
19:52 just like planting maize or soy. You need a lot of input, which is not readily available.
19:59 And so it becomes a very difficult job. Those things are what we need the interventions.
20:08 As to the private sector, as you talk, yes, a lot of well-heeled business people are looking
20:15 at the rice sector now, thinking about going into it. Their fear is that will they love
20:24 the challenge of the imports, which is real. That will be a government decision. But that
20:32 decision will only be able to be executed when government feels that we're in a position
20:39 to supply or fill the gap, which we still are not there. So this is the situation we
20:45 have ourselves in. Now, Ghana needs about three million metric tons of paddy, which
20:50 would translate to about, say, 1.5, 1.8 million metric tons of milled rice. That is what we
20:57 eat. We eat in excess of 1.4, 1.5 million metric tons of milled rice. The land and the
21:04 people are right. We don't have the equipment to make it. So if we are launching the PFJ,
21:12 this is where I will humbly plead with the minister to look at. Fortunately, he doesn't
21:19 have to go look at farmers. He understands the soil. He understands the crop. So it's
21:27 just a matter of tapping into his experience. And then we'll get a very good program going,
21:33 which will take out the $1 billion that we exchanged our 4CD for to bring right. And
21:43 that will run into, it has a chain destiny. It will definitely go into base, and then
21:50 once it gets into base, soil will follow. And then poultry will also be available. So
21:55 that all this money that we take to bring in these consumables will find itself into
22:03 the local economy and enhance the well-creation. This is what we need to look at as a country.
22:11 But the pump bed, the drum play, the media, that is not where we should be looking at.
22:19 I am grateful the president himself was there yesterday, and we are going to hold him to
22:24 the fact that this tribe, it has to work. That young man is a can-do young man. So I
22:31 am very, very sure this time we are on the right track.
22:35 Ibrahim Odum, the point about technology, it might be a challenge for us, isn't it?
22:46 Because we need to do mechanized farming as well. How ready are we in terms of positioning
22:51 ourselves to make use of the modern technology in a great, and even the procurement itself
22:58 could be a challenge.
23:00 Ibrahim Odum, are you still with us?
23:14 What I said was technology. You are asking a question on technology. Is that not it?
23:18 Yes, precisely.
23:19 Yes. And I want to talk about Nigeria 1. When we started, it wasn't too much emphasis on
23:27 technology. Technology was done alongside the program in a gradual manner. Like Mr.
23:35 Puku said, we have an army of farmers who are already doing it in the peasant way. If
23:45 you aggregate them, in the case of Nigeria, for instance, we had 1.2 million farmers who
23:52 were registered. We mobilized them. And then we said to them that we want each and every
23:57 one to do a minimum of five acres. So 1.2 million times five acres, which you don't
24:04 need too much technology, translated to about six million acres. Six million acres, we are
24:13 looking at a yield, like Puku said, if we are improving the yield to about two tons
24:18 per acre, then it means the six million acres times two, you are getting 12 million tons.
24:29 This is the kind of thing that we need to do. That immediately will not be cemented
24:35 by this technology idea. The army of people currently available, some are doing five,
24:43 some are doing 10. We only need to mobilize them, ensure that they get the rice seeds,
24:49 ensure that they get the rice fertilizers and other agronomical practices, and definitely
24:56 we'll be able to do it. I am aware that a lot of the excuses go into the technology,
25:03 technology, irrigation, irrigation. But I also think that we can make do with the current
25:10 resources on hand to be able to make significant impact.
25:15 Anthony, more...
25:17 In the long run, we can be handling the technology because at the end of the day, if you are
25:25 bringing the technology, it's a matter of improving the yield, making sure that post
25:31 harvest losses are minimized. This is all about technology. But I have a strong conviction
25:39 that what is currently prevailing, if the logistics are provided, we'll be able to do
25:46 it without too much emphasis on technology. If you go to India, for instance, they do
25:54 this, their cottage industry thing based on peasant people, and they are making big impact.
26:02 Okay, let's hear from Mia from Pornhado, who is the Deputy Minister responsible for
26:08 GRIC. Fortunately, he's also joining the conversation this morning. Good morning to you, Honorable.
26:13 We understand you're very, very busy and already on the ground surrounding for phase two of
26:19 the planting for food and jobs initiative. First off, since we're talking about rice
26:25 production, how are you making room to show up production and what strategies do you intend
26:31 to adopt this time around? Hello? Yes, Honorable, I was just asking about the fact that we're
26:39 talking specifically about rice production. We know that the PFJ phase two has got to
26:44 do with other sectors as well, but fixing that into the cereals conversation, how are
26:50 you strategizing to improve yields and production within the country? Oh, okay, thank you so
26:55 much. Good morning to you and your co-workers. Yes, we're talking about this program, the
27:06 PFJ, from 2017 to date, and we all know that we're dealing with the smallholder farmers
27:14 from that point to this side. We did some review for the change of portfolio in the
27:21 ministry. The new minister assembled a very good team, a solid team, did lots of consultations
27:28 with almost every stakeholder in that group. And we came out with this solid document that
27:39 is going to take care of some of the shortfalls of the first PFJ, including what you're talking
27:46 about, especially yields. Now, smallholder farming, the farmers have been feeding this
27:52 country since time immemorial. But we realize that with the increasing population, if you
27:56 still go on that tangent, the time will come not too far that we will hit with cereal food
28:04 strategies in this country. We've been fortunate that through the first phase of the PFJ and
28:10 increased production, we've been able to have some level of food supply in the system
28:19 that has sustained us up to this date. But going forward, with the increasing population,
28:25 now we are 32 million, if you still rely on these smallholder farmers, we may be overtaken
28:31 by events. That is how come the emphasis is now shifting a little bit from the smallholder
28:36 farmers to commercial agriculture. What it means is that although we are not doing away
28:41 with the smallholder farmers, what is going to happen, we are going to become outdoors
28:48 to the big farmers, to the aggregator system. Once that is done very effectively, the input
28:57 subsidy, that used to be the case, is now going to be turned into input credits. So
29:05 as my minister has been saying, all you need is your land. All the input that you require
29:11 to become a farmer will be given to you through the aggregator system.
29:16 I see, but of importance to us is the issue about high import bills when it comes to rice
29:21 importation. How do you intend to deal with that specifically?
29:26 That is where I was coming to. Once we go into commercial agriculture, and mind you,
29:34 in all those countries that have gone far with agriculture, only a small percentage
29:39 of the population are engaging in crop production. So you compare that to Ghana, where we have
29:46 so many people, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, it could be around the country, struggling
29:54 to feed us, to have our buffer that we all need to have.
29:59 Then, it's for this reason that we move into commercial agriculture, and where we
30:04 get the production, the high production is this. The commercial agriculture, because
30:09 it is well controlled, and they go through very well-held agronomic practices, the chances
30:17 are that in this one, there's an empirical proof everywhere, that the commercial farmers
30:22 take the most of the inputs that are given to them, and they come out with huge crop
30:28 yield. That is what we are aiming at. The commercial farmers, we are looking at
30:33 some ten acres, the upper limit, yesterday, so I think some 2,000 acres. This is the kind
30:42 of thing we are looking at. So once this is done, you can be sure that naturally, all
30:49 the inputs are given at the correct time, the aggregators are well-equipped, they are
30:55 linked to financial institutions, and we have all these things sorted out. What will happen
31:03 is that there is going to be good harvest. Once that is done, we are going to have a
31:08 lot of food source in the system that will go to feed industry, we have some for buffer.
31:16 So what mechanisms have you put in place to, first of all, tap into the wealth of experience
31:25 that some persons we have, the various individuals and human resources that we have across the
31:32 country, just to tap into their expertise when it comes to production, boosting production,
31:37 and what are you doing differently now, just to achieve much more beneficial effect?
31:45 Exactly, nobody is going to be left out in this exercise, just as I indicated. Almost
31:52 every group that you can talk about in terms of that, the better fit, has been consulted.
32:00 There was a few stakeholder consultations, and they can testify to that, almost all the
32:05 groups, if not all, including our development partners, the World Bank, the FUO, yesterday,
32:13 all of them were here, to see, buy into whatever we intend to win in this PSJ2. So we are short
32:22 of that massive support from all other stakeholders. Those who may be inadvertently left out, that
32:31 we are going to engage everybody. Yesterday the NDPC made a statement, and a very profound
32:38 one, because whatever we are doing, doctors, thinking that the plans we have for this country,
32:44 moving us from subsistence agriculture into commercial agriculture, that will ensure lots
32:51 of surpluses, and when more apps can feed industry, can augment whatever you are doing
33:01 in the school feeding program, and all that, Bufferstock will be well established as Bufferstock,
33:06 and establishing the warehouses, making sure that all the warehouses, and even in this
33:15 time, both private and public, every warehouse will have to be known, the location and all
33:21 that. Then we can be sure that when the Buffer happens, we can mop up, push in the warehousing
33:29 system, but in the center of all this is the data system.
33:34 I thought that should have been the last one on my mind, in terms of the questions that
33:39 I have for you, but you cannot leave without talking about policy measures in terms of
33:44 checking importation. Would you say that we are strong enough, sufficient in terms of
33:49 rice production, and government at this point may be considering restrictions, possible
33:57 ban on importation, just as we have seen the likes of Nigeria do?
34:01 Yeah, whatever policy you want to bring out, you just have to assess yourself, you don't
34:08 have the kind of muscles Nigeria has, that is the point. And we just say that because
34:14 Nigeria has that outside ban, we are also going to do the same. But there is a program,
34:19 we have a phase out program, it is a five year program that we launched yesterday, and
34:23 that program has some benchmarks as we move along, year one, year two, year three, year
34:31 four, up to year five. And in all the benchmarks, there is a conscious effort to limit or decrease
34:40 considerably the importation of this. And in Ghana, they are strong. You take potlice,
34:48 you take rice, you take onions, and you take tomatoes. These are the four key areas that
34:55 we spend so much money in their importation. And they are featured prominently in this
35:02 new phase, where we have eleven crops, and then poultry. These crops that I mentioned,
35:11 the rest of the crops that we consume in this country, they are self sufficient. But these
35:20 three, the four that I mentioned, they are the import heavy, and therefore we are conscious
35:27 about that. And this new phase, everything is being done to limit considerably the importation
35:37 of these varieties.
35:38 We are grateful that you spent some time with us this morning. Alfred Pomatau, Deputy Agric
35:42 Minister, joining the conversation. Anthony Morrison is with the Agri Business Chamber,
35:49 he is also joining the conversation. Anthony, the point about showing up production, it
35:55 is not as though this is something that will just happen overnight. If we are to achieve
36:01 that, from your chamber, where do we start off from?
36:05 Well, thank you very much. I think that looking at our national priorities, of which we need
36:12 to consider strongly, areas where it is heavily imported areas, for instance, rice, pork meat,
36:22 we are looking at fat and oil, we are looking at fish. We need to take those things into
36:30 consideration. And looking at the fact that the kind of amount that we spend on the food
36:35 importation bill keeps growing up. Currently we are looking at about 11.3 billion. We need
36:41 to look at it and begin to make strategic investments into it. If you look at what the
36:47 Economic Intelligence Unit has been telling us, I think that we need to focus more on
36:53 the incremental budget allocation for the agriculture sector. If your food importation
36:59 bill is in 11.something billion dollars annually, and your investment into the sector is less
37:06 than 1.5 billion, then I don't think we are doing the industry any service.
37:12 Secondly, this PFJ2 is not also supporting youth involvement. I have seen a very strong
37:22 pillar focusing on how we can increase youth involvement, knowing that we do have an overage
37:31 population of farmers in the sector. This PFJ as well is also not looking at the fact
37:38 that we have challenges with our local seed industry, and quite often more. We import
37:45 more or less 90 plus percent of all our vegetable seeds. If you ask a lot of farmers within
37:52 the grains and cereals, we import the likes of anna, leg and what have you, and several
37:57 others from India. And I think that there is a lot to be done.
38:02 Yes, this PFJ spoke about the food or the price guarantee system. That is a major component.
38:12 And I think that it cannot be integrated into this, because it ought to take into consideration
38:18 several others. And in fact, we also do have quite a number of challenges. First on the
38:25 side of government, how committed are they to this policy? How committed are they with
38:30 regards to making the right financial credit available? How committed are they with regards
38:40 to aligning some of this strongly to our national priorities? And of course, we have a lot of
38:47 government agencies implementing agriculture sector projects. Are we able to harmonize
38:52 them and create proper coordination so that there are no wastages, there are no corruption,
38:58 there are no half done projects or half big projects? And we ought to be making sure that
39:04 the money or programs and projects that are brought in by government partners are actually
39:11 achieving the ultimate goal and objective that it has been designed to achieve. So there
39:18 is quite a number of things we need to do. Then also, we have seen that as a country,
39:24 we kept talking about data, data, data. Are we going to look completely at the agriculture
39:30 sector data? How do we make sure that in terms of production data, in terms of processing
39:35 data, in terms of human resource data, in terms of trade data, all those things are
39:41 in there and it makes it much easier to design and actually put together a targeted objective
39:49 that is implementable. I see. Ibrahim Odum, we've just had from the Deputy Greek Minister
39:55 point out that enough stakeholder consultation has been done on this policy. You believe
40:01 him on that? Ibrahim Odum, are you still with us? If you can hear me, I'm just asking about
40:18 what the Deputy Minister just told us about the fact that enough stakeholder consultation
40:24 has been done on this policy. Oh yeah, and my answer is yes. I agree perfectly with what
40:30 he said. If we're to achieve what it is that we want to achieve, the belief is that we
40:40 should go beyond the boardroom level talks and bring in even the farmers themselves and
40:47 to hear their sentiments on the matter. That's why I'm asking you if in fact what the Minister
40:53 is saying suffices because there's a need for us to aggressively engage the farmers
40:58 themselves. Hello, can I come in? Yes, this is supposed to be the Minister? Yes, yes.
41:22 Can I comment on a little bit of the youth aspect? Yes, as Anthony Morrison is talking
41:31 about. Yes, in fact the youth component of this program is huge. As the President said
41:39 yesterday, everything that you do, when you want to start the youth, because all they
41:44 tell you is that I'm a fresh boy from school, how am I going to get into something? And
41:49 we are saying that all you need is your land. Because you're going to have what we call
41:56 the input credit. So everything that you require to become a successful farmer is going to
42:01 be provided and that is new things. And therefore if the youth within all the groups in this
42:08 country are to take advantage of this situation, you don't even need to put things in black
42:14 and white. It is so obvious. But education aspect of it will be done, will be specified
42:20 after the official launch. We are now going to specify the education at the national,
42:25 the regional and the district level. Even to the community level. So that the crops
42:31 that do well in every community, you try as much as possible, register with an aggregator
42:38 and that is all you need to do with your land. Everything that we are going to do is going
42:43 to be electronically captured. So your farm will be captured, will be monitored from the
42:51 national, from the region and from the district. So the youth, this is their time and we are
42:57 going to start the certification and education for the youth to take advantage of this program.
43:03 And with the consultation, let me say a little bit about the consultation. A lot more consultations
43:10 were done, especially with leadership. You know for the farmers, for example, we cannot
43:14 meet every farmer, but at least we met the present farmers association. So we have been
43:19 meeting the groups that are recognised, that have representation in all the regions. And
43:26 if you ask the leadership, they will tell you that in the last four months we have had
43:31 a series of engagements with them.
43:33 Okay, I see. And we are hoping that that will translate into positive impacts on the policy.
43:41 Iawe Dupoku, you have some final thoughts to share as we wrap up. I also come back to
43:46 you, Anthony Morrison.
43:48 Sir, I would say that with the crop of leadership that we currently have at the Great Front,
43:59 I pray that it works. I know Honorable Iafim Pong, I have interacted with him. Honorable
44:07 Dumodou is my chairman actually. And Anthony Morrison, I belong to his chamber. So looking
44:14 at the kind of interaction that we have, it is very helpful. The point that we need to
44:21 make is that at the end of the day, can we show the results of our labour?
44:29 Planting for Food and Jobs Phase 1, I am yet to see the data on paper that yes, we achieved
44:39 this, we achieved that. Because we all know from 2017 to 2023, food prices never went
44:49 down, despite subvention. So I am hoping that this time around, if we are talking about
44:57 poultry, we should have poultry on the dinner table every time we need it, and at a good
45:03 price. This is what we call that we have achieved our target.
45:09 Right. And I'm grateful, Iawe Dupoku, for joining us. Anthony Morrison, you have any
45:14 final concluding remarks on this?
45:18 Okay, we've lost Anthony Morrison as well. For you, Mr. Odum, as a wrap up, you have
45:24 any final thoughts on this?
45:26 Our attitude, our attitude towards projects and programmes must change. And I'm happy
45:35 the minister is going to use people who are impregnated with a passion to achieve what
45:44 he has desired to achieve. In Ghana, what we have done is that we come out with solid
45:52 programmes like this, we give it to people who don't have any idea about such programme,
46:02 and definitely they make mess of it. I'm happy the minister now has come out, made
46:10 sure that he's getting the right stakeholders to support him. If we change our attitude,
46:17 both at the ministry and at the private sector, private sector will have to become more responsible
46:24 and responsive. If I say responsible, you are given a facility, you make sure that you
46:31 apply it accordingly, and ensure that you get results. That is where we'll get it. And
46:39 then those, our brothers and sisters in the ministry will have to make sure that they
46:48 are given room for the private sector to operate, rather than to stifle the efforts of the private
46:55 sector. Once these two things get on board, with the passion and the awareness that we
47:03 all have, especially COVID, have drawn something to us. That if there's another COVID, and
47:12 we can't go out to buy, and we don't have enough, how are we going to survive? I think
47:19 this is enough wake-up call for us. My conclusion is that the attitude of Ghanaians has changed.
47:28 Yeah, and we need to start from now. Grateful. I mean, we spent a very exciting morning with
47:36 all of you, to Yael Edupoku, to Odum, and to the Deputy Greek Minister and Anthony Morrison
47:43 for joining us this morning as we spent some time dissecting matters relating to importation
47:48 of rice, and also phase two of the Planting for Food and Jobs campaign. This is The AM
47:53 Show. We'll be back.
47:56 [MUSIC]