Mr. Kwaku Asante, Chairman of Agency For Health And Food Security (AHEFS), is advocating increased investments in Ghana’s vegetable sector. He is convinced this is a necessity, as the sector is constrained by weak value chain linkages due to uncoordinated actors.
Asante is worried that an important cause of the weak value chain linkages is the low prioritization of vegetables within Ghana’s agricultural policy. He was speaking on the sidelines of a workshop on Strengthening Agriculture Value Chain Economics for Sustainable Development in Sunyani.
According to Asante, Ghana has comparative advantages and should be able to export more vegetables to the global market. It is the non-existence of key agricultural infrastructure and non-application of innovations that make it impossible for farmers to supply Ghana and the rest of Africa with enough food.
Asante said that countries like South Africa and Kenya are able to make a significant impact in the European market because there are efficient and systematic structures. He posits that Ghana must do same. A necessary first step is for the government to include the Private Sector in policy formulation to find systematic structures of investing in the vegetable sector.
He pointed out that agriculture accounts for about 60 % of export earnings and directly or indirectly supports 80% of the total population.
Source: newsghana.com.gh