Agri Local

Use of Improved Inputs Among Smallholder Farmers Low- Dr. Sagre Bambangi

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture in Charge of Annual Crops, Dr. Sagre Bambangi, has disclosed that smallholder farmers who have adopted the use of improved seeds and fertilizers in farming are less than 12 percent.

He made this comment in a three-day seed sector support workshop organised by the Savannah Zone Agricultural Productivity Improvement Project (SAPIP). The SAPIP is a Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s initiative geared towards improving efficiency of the national seed system. The workshop was held to enlighten and educate the experts in the agricultural value chain in Tamale.

The Deputy Agricultural Minister expressed worry about how productivity on the agricultural sector is affected by the use of ordinary seeds rather than improved seeds and fertilizers. He urged farmers to use high yielding seeds and technology to improve the agricultural sector.

He said, “With this low level of usage, improvement in productivity could be a challenge; therefore, innovative interventions in agriculture are needed to meet the growing needs of food, industrial products and employment considering the population’s fast growth-rate – which is expected to increase from the current level of 27 million to 37 million by 2030, and to 52.5 million by 2050,”

The workshop was targeted at finding proactive ways of increasing the delivery of quality seeds to small holder farmers to improve their yield and profits.

Dr. Sagre Bambangi  added that the ministry is working intensively to promote the adoption of quality and high-yielding seeds, fertilisers, pest and post-harvest management practices to meet the growing demand for food and raw materials for industry.

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture is engaged in a five-year project with funding of US$39million facility from the African Development Bank and US$11million from the government of Ghana in pursuit of an agender to transform the agricultural value chain for food and nutrition security, jobs and wealth-creation.

Dr. Bambangi grieved over Ghana’s performance in Agriculture in the Sub-region. He said Ghana is not doing better compared to the other countries because farmers lack interest in adopting improved agricultural inputs.

“Our agricultural productivity growth should outstrip our annual population growth rate by 2.2 percent” he stated.

Ghana is working towards increasing the availability of food for its increasing number of populace.

Source: Ghana | ritefmonline.org | Nana Boamah Gyamo | theorago@gmail.com

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