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Tag: Minister for Food and Agriculture

  • 800,000 farmers in eight regions to receive food grants starting October 10

    800,000 farmers in eight regions to receive food grants starting October 10

    Dr. Bryan Acheampong, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, has announced that food grants will be distributed to over 800,000 farmers across the eight regions most impacted by recent dry spells.

    The distribution is set to commence on Thursday, October 10, 2024.

    During a press briefing in Accra on October 1, the minister outlined the government’s relief measures to combat the effects of the drought. Each affected farmer will receive 25 kg of rice and 100 kg of maize as part of the aid package.

    “Additionally, an online grain market is being set up to allow the public to conveniently purchase maize and rice at affordable prices starting October 10,” Dr Acheampong said.

    In addition to the food distribution, Dr. Acheampong mentioned the establishment of an online grain market, which will enable the public to purchase maize and rice at reasonable prices starting October 10. The distribution of food grants and inputs will be overseen by the Ghana Agriculture and Agribusiness Platform (GhAAP) to ensure transparency and accountability.

    “A team of 3,000 personnel has been deployed nationwide to register farmers and ensure no one is left out of the relief programmes,” he noted.

    To ensure comprehensive outreach, a team of 3,000 personnel has been deployed to register farmers and guarantee that all eligible individuals benefit from the relief efforts.

    Looking ahead, the minister stressed the importance of investing in agricultural resilience, particularly in irrigation and long-term grain storage solutions. He highlighted the significance of the second phase of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative in enhancing the country’s food security.

    “The government has committed to an annual irrigation investment of GHS3 billion over the next decade, alongside a goal of increasing grain storage capacity by 100,000 metric tons per year for the next 16 years,” he stressed.

    The government has pledged to allocate GHS3 billion annually over the next ten years for irrigation investments, alongside a target to increase grain storage capacity by 100,000 metric tons per year for the next 16 years.

    “The dry spell underscores the importance of long-term agricultural planning and investments. The government, with support from international partners, is committed to ensuring our farmers are equipped to withstand future shocks,” the minister of food and agriculture said.

    Dr. Acheampong extended his appreciation to various stakeholders, including the World Bank and ECOWAS, for their support during this crisis.

    He reiterated the need for long-term agricultural planning and investments, emphasizing that the government, with international collaboration, is dedicated to empowering farmers to better cope with future challenges. The measures announced are expected to provide crucial relief and stabilize food supplies in the months ahead.

  • ‘Liar Ablakwa must not be trusted’ – Bryan Acheampong

    ‘Liar Ablakwa must not be trusted’ – Bryan Acheampong

    Owner of the Rock City Hotel and Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, has firmly denied claims by NDC representatives Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Sammy Gyamfi that his hotel is operating at a loss.

    Ablakwa and Gyamfi asserted that they had obtained documents indicating the hotel’s financial struggles.

    In response, Acheampong called these allegations lies during an interview with journalist Nana Yaa Brefo from Media General.

    He criticized Ablakwa and Gyamfi for spreading false information and challenged Ablakwa to publicly produce the supposed document.

    “Rock City is not making losses. No one anywhere can say that Rock City is incurring losses. I saw Okudzeto and Sammy Gyamfi in the studio making noise. Okudzeto, wearing a smock, exaggerated that Rock City is making losses and that he has intercepted documents from the GRA.”

    “He has not intercepted any documents. Everything he is saying is lies. There is nothing truthful about what Okudzeto said concerning that matter. In the first place, Rock City has informed me, and I have checked with the GRA, that they have not even filed their 2023 taxes yet.”

    Acheampong clarified that Rock City has not yet filed its 2023 taxes, which are due at the end of June, making it impossible for any document to exist.

    “So, they have not filed yet. Rock City has not even gone to the GRA; they plan to file at the end of the month. So where did he get the document from? What he is saying is fabricated and a lie.

    “Rock City has not even filed its 2023 taxes. They are due by the end of June. So where did he get it from? Today, I am daring him,” Mr. Bryan Acheampong said.

    Acheampong expressed confidence in the hotel’s profitability and dismissed the claims as entirely fabricated.

    To demonstrate his conviction, he offered to gift his Akosombo Intercontinental Hotel to Ablakwa or an orphanage of Ablakwa’s choice if the allegations were proven true.

    He urged Ablakwa to substantiate his statements with actual evidence, emphasizing the baseless nature of the accusations.

    “He should prove it, and I will gift it to him or any orphanage of his choice,” he dared Okudzeto Ablakwa.

  • Farmers want me as president – Afriyie Akoto

    Farmers want me as president – Afriyie Akoto

    A flagbearer candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto has said that majority of farmers want him to become Ghana’s next president.

    Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto said majority of NPP delegates who are farmers benefited from the policies and programmes he initiated during his tenure as the Food and Agric Minister.

    Speaking to journalists in Accra, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto says his track record makes him the clear favourite.

    “Most of these farmers I met in Upper East, Upper West, Savannah regions are also delegates and party constituencies executives. The one million farmers are the ones who will bear witness to me. Just go to any farmer and ask about the impact I have had on their lives when I was Minister for Food and Agriculture. And they will confess to you, they will tell you. They will vote for me to win,” Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto said.

    Dr. Akoto officially resigned to focus on his Presidential ambition as he wants to lead the New Patriotic Party into the 2024 general elections.

    He served as a Member of Parliament for the Kwadaso Constituency in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region for two terms.

    In Parliament, he held the position of Deputy Ranking Member and subsequently the substantive Ranking Member for the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs until 2017 when he was appointed the Minister for Food and Agriculture.

    The former Food and Agriculture Minister is in fierce competition with Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong, and Francis Addai Nimo who have declared their intention to contest in the party’s flagbearership race.

    The others include former MP for Essikado-Ketan, Joe Ghartey, former General Secretary of the NPP, Kwabena Agyapong, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, and former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko.

    The NPP has set November 4, 2023, for its presidential primaries to select a flagbearer for the general elections in 2024.

    However, if more than five candidates file to run in the primaries, the party will call a Special Congress on August 26.

    The nomination period for the presidential primaries will begin on May 26 and end on June 24, 2023.

  • Resignation of Agric Minister long-overdue – Agribusiness Chamber

    Resignation of Agric Minister long-overdue – Agribusiness Chamber

    The Chief Executive of the Agribusiness Chamber, Anthony Morrison, has welcomed the resignation of Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, stating that stakeholders have been clamouring for his exit long ago.

    He suggested that agriculture needs a required expertise to grow the sector.

    According to him, the stakeholders in the sector have been expecting the Minister to be changed long ago.

    “It is a welcoming news. He has stayed at the ministry for six years. A lot of people, including myself, have been advocating for a reshuffle to bring in someone who can engage the sector very well,” Mr. Morrison said.

    Providing some personalities that could handle the ministry, Mr. Morrison suggested Professor Eric Dankwa Yirenkyi and Dr. Wilfred Hammond as best fits to replace the outgoing Minister for Food and Agriculture.

    “For us, we think there are many experts in the sector that we can count on. We know of Professor Eric Dankwa Yirenkyi who has achieved global laurels and awards and a huge personnel in the African and global agriculture space. We know of Dr. Foster Boateng who was West Africa Director for Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Also, we know of Dr. Winfred Hammond who was a Former Deputy Agric Minister and former Country Director for FAO in Liberia and Sierra Leone. I believe that there are huge potentials in these three agric experts,” he said.

    Mr. Morrison also highlighted the need to choose someone who is involved in academia, industry and has a relationship with development partners.

    “We can go further to talk about the likes of Dr. Henry Anim-Somuah and Professor Irene Agyiri, whose efforts and activities have contributed a lot to the sector. Notwithstanding, we need to look for a personality who is in academia, industry involved and works with funding organisations. We need not forget that we must pick someone who development partners are happy to work with,” he emphasised.

    Source: myjoyonline

  • Govt to investigate increases in food prices – Agric minister

    The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has said that his outfit will be conducting a probe into the continuous rise in the prices of food items in the country.

    He said that even though the increase in transportation cost is a factor in the price buildup of food commodities, that alone cannot be the reason for the astronomical increase prices.

    Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, November 9, Dr. Afriyie Akoto added that the government will be investigating allegations that traders are engaging in profiteering.

    “Some are speculating that the marketers are making supper normal profit. That is something that has to be looked at. When you take the actual cost from the farm gate, how much the farmer is paid, the collection, the handling, the transportation, the price you get is multiples of what retailers are paying.

    “Many attribute the high increases to the cost of fuel and transportation. Whereas this may be true to some extent, our analysis at the ministry review that it is over exaggerated,” he said.

    The minister reiterated the plans of his ministry to transport food from rural communities to urban centres including Accra, to ensure that the prices of food items come down in these areas.

  • Here is what to expect from parliament next week

    Seven ministers are expected to appear before the house to respond to questions, which include urgent and oral questions.

    The ministers expected to appear are the Minister for the Volta Region, Minister for the Interior, Minister for Food and Agriculture, Minister for Health, Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Minister for Railways Development, and Minister for Roads and Highways.

    The ministers will respond to over 40 questions during the week.

    Aside from that, motions may be debated and their consequential resolutions, if any, taken during the week.

    The Business Committee urged Ministers of State to endeavour to attend the House to respond to questions whenever they are scheduled to do so.

    Also, some presentations of papers are expected this week, which include the Annual Report of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission for 2020; the Reconciliation Report on the Petroleum Holding Fund for the year 2021; and the Annual Public Debt Management Report for the year 2021, among others.

    Aside from that, motions may be debated and their consequential resolutions, if any, taken during the week.

  • ‘Galamsey’ fight: ‘Yes, you say that we have failed’ but there’s still hope – Agric minister

    The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has admitted that the government is currently failing in the fight against illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey’.

    He, however, said that the government remains unwavering in its resolve to stop ‘galamsey’ and it is confident that it will end the menace soon.

    “… yes, you say that we have failed in galamsey but it is an ongoing battle. And we think that, as a government, we are going to win at the end of the day.

    “Because there is a lot of goodwill amongst the stakeholders. The traditional authorities and other stakeholders know the harmful effect of galamsey on all aspects of life. So, ultimately, we will get together to control it,” Dr. Afriyie Akoto told journalists at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, October 10, 2022.

    The minister also refuted the assertions that ‘galamsey’ is crippling Ghana‘s food production and has particularly destroyed many cocoa farms, leaving just a little.

    “… if you are talking about little of cocoa, it is not a little. Galamsey is nibbling at the edges because COCOBOD has done a survey which shows that 2 percent of areas under cocoa are being affected by galamsey. 98 percent is not little left,” he noted.

    Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has refuted suggestions that his government is not committed to the fight against illegal small-scale mining (‘galamsey’).

    According to Akufo-Addo, his government has been committed to the fight against the menace since his first day in office and its determination to curb it even cost his party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), some votes in the 2020 General Elections.

    The president, who made these remarks at a meeting with the National House of Chiefs and some Municipal Metropolitan and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in Kumasi, intimated that the votes he and his party lost showed that he really put his presidency on the line to fight ‘galamsey’.

    “Since I took office on January 7th, 2017, nearly six years ago, I have made it a central feature of my presidency to lead in the fight to rid our country of this menace, which we all now call galamsey. Indeed, it was an important aspect of my inaugural address that day. It has not been easy; it has not been popular and we have not gotten the immediate results that I was looking for.

    “Indeed, in the last election of 2020, my stance on the issue cost my party and I significant losses in the mining communities. It turned out that my statement that I was putting my presidency on the line in the fight against galamsey was neither bumbazed nor reckless. It was the simple truth,” he said.

    Akufo-Addo also urged chiefs across the country to get themselves into the fight against illegal small-scale mining since they are the custodians of land in the country.

  • Stop politicizing pricing of cocoa – COCOBOD to Ato Forson

    Attempts to politicize cocoa prices, according to COCOBOD’s head of public affairs, Fiifi Boafo, will not be beneficial to Ghana.

    The Ghana Cocoa Board’s (COCOBOD) Fiifi Boafo, the director of corporate affairs, has warned Cassiel Ato Forson, the ranking member of the parliament’s finance committee, to refrain from any attempts to politicise the cost of cocoa.

    Ato Forson said the 21% increase in the producer price of cocoa, which has been pegged at GHC800 per bag is too small.

    Talking to the sit-in host of The Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday (6 October), Boafo said such utterances will not inure to the benefit of Ghana.

    “Ato Forson said the cocoa day event that was organised, was poorly attended, an event that had over 2,000 persons present, that tells you what he sought to portray,” Boafo said.

    “He made a point that, if you juxtaposed what Ivorian farmers are receiving and what Ghanaian farmers are receiving, we should pay our farmers more.

    “I don’t think we should politicise pricing of cocoa because if you do so, it does not inure to the benefit of our country,” Boafo said.

    Cocoa producer price increased by 21% per tonne

    Meanwhile, the government has increased the producer price of cocoa to GHC12, 800.00 per tonne, which translates into GHC800 per bag of 64 kg gross weight for the 2022/ 2023 cocoa crop season.

    This represents an increase of 21% from GHC10, 560 per tonne, taking effect from Friday 14 October 2022.

    Announcing the new cocoa price, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister for Food and Agriculture, and chairman of the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC), said that the new producer price of cocoa represents 89.99% of the net freight on board (FOB) value.

    “The 21% rise in the producer price of cocoa is a testament to the government’s resolve to ensure farmers earn a decent income and make cocoa farming lucrative. The government will continue to implement initiatives to build a robust, resilient, and sustainable cocoa industry where cocoa farmers and their communities will thrive,” Afriyie Akoto said.

    Last year, government maintain the producer price at GHC660 as the farm-gate price for a bag of 64kg of cocoa for the 2021/2022 crop season. This was in spite of the fall in the world market price of cocoa, among other factors, such as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy.

    In effect, the decision maintained the producer price at GHC105, 600 per tonne, representing 87.15% of the FOB value, as a demonstration of its commitment to improving the livelihoods of cocoa farmers.

    Mass spraying

    The minister assured farmers that government will continue to assist cocoa farmers through the mass spraying program to control pests and diseases and the rehabilitation of infected cocoa farms.

    In order to boost farm productivity, the government will also help cocoa farmers by making necessary inputs like fertilizers available for purchase. The government is committed to continuing to offer high-yielding, early-bearing, and drought-tolerant planting materials that have received certification.

    “The government will also assist cocoa farmers by making the requisite inputs such as fertilizers available for farmers to buy to increase farm productivity. Government is committed to continuing to supply certified planting materials that are drought tolerant, early bearing and high-yielding,” he said.

    EU due diligence

    To help the country comply with EU due diligence requirements, the government is developing the Cocoa Management System (CMS) through COCOBOD.

    The minister noted that the government is still committed to preventing child labour and deforestation from occurring during the production of Ghanaian cocoa.

    After its completion, the CMS will create a legally binding national traceability system that will be open and accountable. By doing this, it will be possible to trace every single batch of Ghanaian cocoa beans back to the farm where they were grown. According to the EU’s due diligence requirements, this is a crucial requirement.

    “Once completed, the CMS will establish a national mandatory traceability system that will be transparent and accountable. This will ensure that all Ghana cocoa beans are traceable from the port of shipment to the plot of land that produced the beans. This is a key requirement under the European Union Due Diligence requirements,” he said.

    “I am pleased to inform you that the first component of the CMS, which involves the establishment of a reliable farmer database (farm mapping and enumeration), is expected to be completed by the end of October 2022,” the minister stated.