Public Agenda (Accra)
Selorm Amevor
28 November 2008
A 2.5 million-dollar project to assist over 2,200 agro-dealers and 150 seed producers to increase the availability, accessibility and affordability of quality agro-inputs in rural areas has been launched in Accra.
The programme termed the Ghana Agro-Dealer Development (GADD) project is being funded by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development (IFDC). The project is expected to foster an increase in the productivity of over 850,000 rural farmers.
Experts indicate that one of the reasons for low productivity of agriculture in Ghana is because farmers do not have access to improved agricultural technologies and practices, especially the use of modern inputs such as improved seed, mineral fertilizers and crop protection products.
Launching the programme, the President of AGRA, Dr. Namanga Ngongi, said that the most urgent issue confronting Ghanaian farmers is their ability to have access to the inputs they need to increase productivity.
According to him, Ghana's smallholder farmers must significantly increase their use of improved seeds and other modern inputs to increase their yields and incomes.
He indicated that to increase their ability to serve farmers effectively, agro -dealers would be trained in business skills, safe handling and use of modern technology. They would also be linked to seed and fertilizer suppliers.
Dr. Ngongi said that the aim of AGRA is to build a prosperous agricultural system that generates significant opportunities for Africa's small-scale farmers who are the poorest in the world.
The goal is to ensure that within 10 to 20 years farmers would double their yields and generate additional income for farmers.
"Improvement in both crop and livestock operations would give farmers expanded incomes to invest as they see fit including in health, education, housing and other needs for themselves and families. Ultimately, it would help end the hunger and poverty of tens of millions of farmers and their families across Africa" he added.
The President of AGRA however conceded that achieving this goal would require tremendous development in many related areas such as marketing development, access to credit, transport and distribution systems, natural resource conservation, building the brain trust of African Scientist, empowering women farmers and developing financing institutions.
He indicated that AGRA working with IFDC -Ghana and the Ghana Agricultural Association Business Information Centre (GAABIC), would invest in capacity building and training to strengthen the technical and business knowledge of Agro-dealers.
Additionally, the partners would build and support already established trade associations, assisting agro-dealers' access to investment finance for business development through risk-sharing arrangements.
Dr. Ngongi further said that shop owners would also be trained in the methods of providing field demonstrations and soil testing, thereby transforming them into providers of basic extension services and creating an invaluable source of knowledge and advice to farmers.
In a key not address read on behalf of the Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Mr. Vesper Suglo, Director of Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Department (PPRSD) said the project was historic moment for the Ghanaian farmer.
He indicated that earlier this year, MOFA made an appeal to the Millennium Development Authority and AGRA to consider supporting MOFA's legislative development processes with regard to fertilizer, seed and plant quarantine.
According to him, MiDA had commissioned an international consultant to review the Draft Plant Quarantine Act which was developed in 2000.
Mr. Suglo said that Ghana depends on agriculture for economic development but faces challenges posed by globalization.
The Director of PPRSD said that the world's population has tripled and transitional economies are becoming wealthier with serious implications for food demand.
"At the same time, climate changes, increase in petroleum and fertilizer process, declining fertility of the soils has affected food supply," he added.
According to him, the gap between demand and supply can be reduced through innovative practices to remove the constraints that farmers face.
Mr. Suglo said that MOFA was working closely with MiDA to implement Ghana's Millennium Challenge Compact to emphasize the commercial development of smallholder agriculture, provide irrigation and post harvest facilities, access to finance, with support of transportation and rural development components.
He said that the project would be done through a direct focus on capacity building of Agro-input dealers and seed producers, institutional strengthening, access to finance for dealers and creation of demand through demonstrations.
A representative of the IFDC in Ghana , Dr. Kofi Debrah, said that the main activities of the project includes the provision of training and technical assistance to strengthen the technical and business capacities of agro-dealers in creating business linkages with seed and other input suppliers and help them extend their retail networks to more farmers especially rural areas.
In addition, he said that they would encourage agro-dealers to join agro-input trade associations and provide the organizational training and support to GAABIC and its consortium associations to serve members and customers effectively, to lobby for policy reform and to generate revenue for financial self-sufficiency.
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