The Chief of Apremdo, Nana Egya Kwamena Xl, has advised the government of Ghana against activities promoting the importation of food into the country.
Instead of working and collaborating with farmers for improved agriculture and ultimately food production, he said the country has rather made importation of food into the country as the panacea to address food insecurity
He called out policymakers for not making maximum use of the relative peace Ghana enjoys to improve the performance of the country’s agricultural sector
He said Ghana, under the current circumstance, must not be begging for food and importing fertilizer from war-ravaged countries plunged in chaos.
“It is very sad for a country at peace like Ghana, or to some large extent, the entire African continent, to be begging for food and engaged in fertilizer import from a small country like Ukraine at war. To the extent that we blame them for rising food and agricultural input prices,” said Nana Egya Kwamena Xl.
For the traditional ruler, “This is not acceptable and there is an urgent need to ensure that we are able to produce enough food to feed ourselves and export the leftovers, if any.”
“Let us continue to thank our farmers for the great job they are doing to ensure we have food on our tables” he said
Addressing farmers in his traditional area on Friday 24th November 2023, as part of the celebration of this year’s Farmers Day, the celebrated Chief used the opportunity to commend government for introduction of Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative to increase food production in Ghana.
“There is the need for more smart and targeted investment in Ghanaian agriculture and its food systems. There is the need for us to pay closer attention to urban agriculture and promote backyard gardening systems. Food systems include post-harvest and marketing activities,” he observed.
To this end, he appealed to government to pay attention to the peri-urban community of Apremdo and its central market which has been abandoned by traders for no apparent reason.
“It is regrettable to say that an ultra-modern market facility established at Racecourse popularly referred to as Abenbebom market, is not being used to its full potential”.
Tackling the issue of land mismanagement, he said “The towns in the metropolis are urbanizing at a very high rate, which is good for socio-economic development. However, the other side of it is that urbanization is losing more farmlands to settlements. This phenomenon requires smart solutions to still be able to produce food within an urban setting. These smart solutions should not only focus on the primary agriculture, but should be focused on the food systems to be able to deliver the resilience for sustainable food security in our metropolis”
The term “food systems” he noted, refers to all the elements and activities related to producing and consuming food, and their effects, including economic, health, and environmental outcomes.
The theme for this year’s Farmers Day is “Delivering Smart Solutions for Sustainable Food Security Resilience”.
By: Zambaga Rufai Saminu | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
