The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has said it is optimistic there will be no food shortages in Ghana this year, because of the work done through the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.
Pressure has been mounting on the government over the past few weeks to address the rising cost of food produce as a matter of urgency, as price rises bite less privileged members of Ghanaian society, especially women and children.
Speaking to Asaase News, a spokesman for the ministry, Bagbara Tanko, said the department is determined to increase food production as a way of tackling the situation.
“For us as a ministry, our focus is to increase yields, because if we don’t produce, we are not going to have food to eat, meaning we are going to import.
“That is why even if you look at poultry and poultry products, efforts are being made to see how we can reduce imports.
“If you look at rice, a lot is being done to promote the local rice industry so that we can cut down the import of rice.
“So, our main focus on Planting for Food and Jobs is going all out this season. The rains are good and we are hoping that we are going to have some good yields,” Tanko said.
Backyard garden policy
Meanwhile, Kwame Jantuah, a private legal practitioner, has suggested that the government reintroduce the “Operation Feed Yourself” programme to help alleviate the plight of Ghanaians.
Operation Feed Yourself was an agricultural scheme, launched in Ghana in 1972 under the military general and then head of state, Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.
The national programme sought to increase production of food crops, with the aim of making Ghana self-sufficient in food.
“I think one of the things we have not done successfully is to conscientise our population to start having backyard gardens, if for nothing at all,” Jantuah said on Asaase Radio’s current affairs and news analysis show The Forum on Saturday.
“Do you know the impact of Operation Feed Yourself in this country? It depends on the approach . . . this is a critical time,” he told the sit-in host of The Forum, Benjamin Offei-Addo.
