Ghana can attain zero hunger by 2020 – FAO Representative

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative to Ghana and Regional Programme Leader for Africa, Dr. Abebe Haile-Gabriel, is optimistic that Ghana can attain Zero Hunger by 2020.

Dr. Gabriel praised the government’s flagship “Planting for Food and Jobs” programme, and described it as a step in the right direction towards achieving this objective.

Speaking on Citi TV’s major news program Citi Newsroom on World Food Day, Dr. Gabriel insisted that with the right level of commitment from the government, Ghana can completely eradicate malnutrition in two years.

“It has been repeatedly demonstrated that the goal of ending hunger is achievable, other countries have done it, so it is not a conceptual issue, it is not an academic discussion and there is no reason Ghana should not be able to achieve it.”

“It can be achieved through the planting for food and jobs campaign, which is the centre of government programme to boost production and productivity of strategic agricultural products in Ghana,” he said.

The Planting for Food and Jobs programme is one of government’s flagship initiatives aimed at improving agricultural production in the country.

The programme rolled out in all 216 districts of the country involves the supply of farm resources such as high-yielding and improved seedlings to participating farmers.

The Planting for Food and Jobs policy focuses on five main pillars including the supply of improved seeds to farmers at subsidized prices, the supply of fertilizers to farmers at subsidized prices, free extension services to farmers, marketing opportunities for produce after harvest, and E-Agriculture.

The programme was envisioned to absorb unemployed youth in rural areas, with the government initially targeting the creation of 750,000 jobs in its first phase.

The government, this year, disclosed that the first phase of the policy had accounted for the creation of 745,000 jobs.

The sector minister, however explained that the jobs were created in rural areas and were essentially not taxable and did not contribute to pension funds.

Other activities under the Planting for Food & Jobs

• The Distribution of about 80,000 bags of cereal and legume seeds,  36,000 sachets of vegetable seeds and about 2,000,000 bags of fertilizer
• Recruitment of 822 agricultural extension personnel
• Establishment of a task-force to assess the status of warehouses and storage facilities nationwide for rehabilitation
• Creation of market opportunities for farmers by linking them with institutional buyers such as the School Feeding Programme and Prisons Service.
• Electronic registration of over 34, 000 farmers out of more than 200,000 manually registered

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By: Farida Yusif/citinewsroom.com/Ghana

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