The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, has highlighted a series of measures that the government has implemented to lessen the effects of the current dry spell on farmers. According to the minister, the government has decided to provide financial support of GHS 1,000 per hectare to vulnerable farmers, as well as food grants to enable them to meet minimum nutritional requirements.
“Government has decided to provide financial support amounting to GHS 1,000 per hectare to the most vulnerable among these farmers as partial cover for their investment losses,” he said.
The minister disclosed this at a press briefing at the Ministry of Information’s Press Center in Accra today.
Mr Acheampong emphasized that the measures include a temporary ban on grain exports, mopping up stock from farmers, procurement of grains and poultry feed, cash transfers, food grants, input support, and technical support for soil moisture conservation techniques.
He further stated that the dry spell has affected over 980,000 farmers, cultivating an estimated 1.8 million hectares, with potential losses estimated at GHS 22.2 billion. He added that the affected regions contribute about 62% of the country’s grain supply annually.
He reiterated that the government would provide fast-maturing seeds and fertilizer to farmers whose crops failed due to the lack of rain so they could replant.
“We will be launching a replanting support program. This will include the provision of fast-maturing seeds that can still be planted within the remaining window of the season,” he noted.
Additionally, Mr Acheampong stressed that the ultimate solution to the current situation is the provision of irrigation and water management systems that will support all-year-round farming.
In addition to other irrigation projects, the minister indicated that the government would allocate funds to complete the 13 irrigation projects included in the Agriculture Economic Enclaves Programme.
“Government shall mobilize the required resources to complete all 13 irrigation projects under the Agriculture Economic Enclaves Programme, as well as the completion of all other irrigation projects in the pipeline,” he said.
He also stated that the government will continue to monitor the situation and keep the nation informed.
The Minister for Finance, Hon. Dr. Amin Adam, for his part, announced that the government has allocated 8 billion Ghana Cedis to provide relief and some mitigation measures for the farmers affected by the dry spell.
“Our response may not entirely neutralize the extent of the problem. But our response certainly will help in stabilizing the situation until we get out of the crisis. And so, as the Honourable Minister for Food and Agriculture said, we are seeking to raise about 500 million U.S. dollars, the equivalent of 8 billion Ghana Cedis, to fund the crisis response programme,” the minister emphasized.
The package includes cash transfers and the supply of food and other relief items to these farmers.
He added that a technical task force comprising development partners, the Ministries of Finance, and Food and Agriculture will monitor the distribution of the relief items to ensure fairness and accountability.
“We are committed to ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of these resources that we are mobilizing to respond to this crisis,” he assured.
Hon. Adam explained that 2.5 billion out of the 8 billion allocated for the crisis response will be drawn from the contingency fund and 2.4 billion Cedis as support from development partners. He noted that the support from the World Bank will be used for cash transfers and the supply of inputs, while funds from the budget will be used to provide food relief to farmers.
The Minister for Defense, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul, assured that the government has deployed and intensified security across the borders to ensure no grain is exported or smuggled out of the country.
Source:newsalertgh.com