Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra)
Mashudu Ankiilu Kunateh
2 November 2009
Accra — The General Secretary of the Ghana Agriculture Producers and Trade organisation (GAPTO), Mr. Haruna Ageshega, has called on the government to take pragmatic measures to protect the agricultural sector from problems that may arise, as a result of implementing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
Mr. Ageshega made the call at the presentation of a study conducted by the GAPTO and Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund (BUSAC), on the interim EPA.
The study of the interim EPA, according to Mr. Ageshega, "is a means to create a baseline of fiscal measures not undertaken."
He added that stakeholders in the agric sector must be engaged in discussions by the government on problems that may arise from its implementation.
The highlight of the study was the challenge of how to liberalise all inputs used by local manufacturers in the first five years, without causing a serious adverse impact on domestic revenue generation, and not to liberalise goods produced locally.
The study recommended that goods which have strong domestic demand that are produced locally should be put in category D (Will not be liberalised).
All inputs for domestic firms, according to the study, should be put in category A (i.e. liberalise in the first 5 years).
Among the recommendations was the enactment of favourable business laws to make local firms competitive, and the strengthening of the capacities of regulatory institutions like the Ghana Standards Board and the Food and Drugs Board to enhance standard enforcement.
It also tasked the government to make a conscious effort to create an enabling environment to improve efficiency of industries in Ghana.
The study also highlighted supply side constraints, as a major challenge to Ghana being competitive as an agricultural producing nation.
Some of the issues raised during the follow-up workshops, included land acquisition, access to credit and agricultural inputs, improving access to extension services and poor seed variety, amongst others.
The Interim EPA has been initialed, but is yet to be signed by the Minister of Trade and Industry, and ratified by Parliament.
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