Focus more on agric sector investment to improve economy – Dr Sarkodie

The government must pay attention to growing the country’s agricultural sector, an Economist, Dr Adu Sarkodie has suggested.

He said while many industries last year shrank amid the coronavirus pandemic, the sector recorded significant growth hence the need to focus more on it.

“Your concentration must be on agric modernisation and industrialisation. So, going forward, I think the key point here is for government to intensify and enhance the policies and programmes of the modernisation of agric,” he said.

He said “Though the planting for food and jobs is working, I think we can do more than that, we can do better than we are doing. We have to do more investment because during the Christmas I understand poultry prices shot up and also egg prices shot up. It means that something was wrong with our local poultry production in Ghana. I believe the planting for food and jobs has not achieved its benefits 100 per cent, there is more room for improvement.”

The coronavirus pandemic significantly impacted Ghana’s economy causing it to contract for the first time in 37 years.

The Government Statistician, Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim had indicated that the partial lockdown implemented earlier to curb the spread of COVID-19 in some parts of the country was the main cause of the contraction.

Prof. Annim revealed that the highest contraction of 79.4 per cent was recorded in the hotels and restaurants sub-sector.

He added that the services sector saw a growth rate of negative 2.6 per cent.

The industrial sector which makes up 33 per cent of all goods and services recorded a negative growth rate of 5.7 per cent.

While several sectors recorded a decline, the agriculture sector which makes up 19 per cent of all goods produced in the second quarter saw a growth rate of 2.5 per cent.

The government has over the years embarked on some programmes to improve the sector including the Planting for Food and Jobs, One Village One Dam.