Ghana's export earnings from the agricultural sector are projected to grow eightfold in the next 10 years, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has said.
According to him, the government’s implementation of sound policies such as the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) had consolidated efforts to ensure food security and increased agricultural export earnings.
Speaking at the Minister’s Press Briefing series in Accra yesterday, Dr Akoto said already, staple food export to neighbouring countries had increased significantly.
For instance, he said, the total staple food export to neighbouring countries increased from 35,154 metric tonnes and 48,011 metric tonnes in 2015 and 2016, respectively, to 81,193 and 99,054 metric tonnes in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and 84,986 and 70,052 metric tonnes in 2019 and 2020.
“If you look at the data, Ghana is the only country in the green zone when it comes to food security in West Africa. All the others are in an emergency, so Ghana is like an island making progress in a region where there is crisis,” he said.
Dr Akoto further said the government was making “serious attempts” to make Ghana self-sufficient in the production of vegetables through greenhouse technology to take advantage of the European market.
