Multi-million dollar agric initiative launched

Back Page lead
27-11-08


AN ambitious $2.5 million agriculture initiative, the Ghana Agro-Dealer Development Project (GAAD), aimed at supporting 2,200 agro-dealers and 150 seed producers to increase agriculture productivity has been launched in Accra.
The three-year project, which is funded by the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), is expected to increase the income and well-being of 850,000 small holder farmers in the country.
Its objectives include providing training and technical support to agro dealers, encourage agro dealers to join agro-input trade associations, facilitate access to agro-input dealers to finance and train dealers in the value and methods of providing services to farmers.
Launching the project on Tuesday, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Ernest Debrah, in an address read on his behalf, pledged the government's support for making the project a success.
“The project’s goal is to increase availability, accessibility and affordability of quality agro-inputs in rural areas and we as a government, will provide the regulatory framework through the passage and implementation of the seed, fertiliser and crop protection laws in Ghana,” he said.
He said with farmers dealing in fertilisers and other inputs, it was the responsibility of the ministry to ensure that inputs were secured in a safe environment.
The President of AGRA, Dr Namanga Ngongi, said having improved seedlings would lead to dramatic increase in food production in the country.
He said the project was also to assist beneficiaries to have access to credit guarantees, adding that there was no use in training a dealer who could not have access to finances.
The Country Representative of the International Centre for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development (IFDC), Dr Kofi Debrah, said the project would be implemented by the IFDC and a consortium, the Ghana Agricultural Associations Business Information Centre (GAABIC).
In an address read on his behalf, the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Mr Martin Eson Benjamin, said the body had a key objective in reducing poverty through agriculture development.
AGRA is a dynamic partnership working across the African continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. Its programmes develop practical solutions to significantly boost farm productivity and incomes for the poor, while safeguarding the environment.
It advocates policies that support its work across all key aspects of the African agricultural value chain, from seeds, soil health and water to markets and agricultural education. AGRA's Board of Directors is chaired by Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations. With support from The Rockefeller Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK's Department for International Development and other donors, AGRA works across sub-Saharan Africa and maintains offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Accra, Ghana.