President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced plans to review the government’s flagship agricultural program, “Planting for Food and Jobs,” after six years of successful implementation, citinewsroom.com reports.
The new phase of the program will involve increased private sector participation and aim to attract more youthful engagement in the agricultural sector.
During his address at the 4th European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East in Italy, President Akufo-Addo emphasized Ghana’s achievement of food security through the program and highlighted the need for a paradigm shift from import subsidy to an import credit scheme.
This transition is expected to drive greater investment and development in the agricultural value chain, ultimately boosting productivity and production in the sector.
“After six years of successful implementation, the programme has come up for review, and it is transitioning into phase two. It is called PFJ Phase Two and this phase will be expanded to achieve private sector participation with emphasis on value chain development. It is also a paradigm shift from import subsidy to import credit scheme, and it is designed to attract more investment in the agric sector and expected to increase productivity and production.”
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana has been advocating for a review of the initiative for some time, and the call for an update is now being heeded.
The then Agric Minister, Dr. Afriyie Akoto, had previously praised the success of the program, revealing that GH¢2.6 billion had been spent on its implementation as of October 2022.
“Planting for Food and Jobs” is a significant agricultural campaign initiated by the government, encompassing five implementation modules.
The first module, PFJ (Crops), was launched by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on April 19, 2017, to promote food security, ensuring the availability of selected food crops in the market, and creating job opportunities.