Government initiates measures to provide farmers with relief, avert food security risk

The Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr. Bryan Acheampong has highlighted a series of measures that the government has put in place to lessen the effects of the current dry spell on farmers.

According to the minister, the government has decided to provide financial support of GH¢1,000 per hectare to vulnerable farmers, as well as food grants to enable them to meet minimum nutritional requirements.

“Government has decided to provide financial support of amounting to GH¢1,000 per hectare to the most vulnerable among these farmers as partial cover for their investment losses”, he said.

The Minister disclosed this at a press briefing session at the Ministry of Information’s Press center in Accra on Monday August 26, 2024.

Bryan Acheampong emphasized that the measures include a temporary ban on grain exports, mopping up stock from farmers, procurement of grains and poultry feed, cash transfers, food grants, input support, and technical support for soil moisture conservation techniques.

He further stated that, the dry spell has affected over 980,000 farmers, cultivating an estimated 1.8 million hectares, with potential losses estimated at GH¢22.2 billion adding that the affected regions contribute about 62% of the country's grain supply annually.

He reiterated that the government would give fast-maturing seeds and fertilizer to farmers whose crops failed because of the lack of rain so they could replant.

“We will be launching a replanting support program. This will include the provision of fast-maturing seeds that can still be planted within the remaining window of the season” he noted.

Additionally, Bryan Acheampong stressed that the ultimate solution to the current situation is the provision of irrigation and water management systems that will support all-year-round farming.

In addition to other irrigation projects, the Minister indicated that the government would allocate funds to finish the 13 irrigation projects included in the Agriculture Economic Enclaves Programme.

“Government shall mobilize the required resources to complete all 13 irrigation projects under the Agriculture Economic Enclaves Programme as well as the completion of all other Irrigation projects in the pipeline,” he said.

He also stated that the government will continue to monitor the situation and keep the nation informed.

The Minister for Finance, Dr. Amin Adam for his part announced that government has allocated GH¢8 billion to provide relief and some mitigation measures for the farmers affected by the dry spell.

“Our response may not entirely neutralise the extent of the problem. But our response certainly will help in stabilizing the situation until we get out of the crisis. And so, as the Honourable Minister for Food and Agriculture said, we are seeking to raise about 500 million U.S. dollars, the equivalent of GH¢8 billion, to fund the crisis response programme.”

The minister emphasized that the package includes cash transfers and supply of food and other relief items to these farmers.

He added that a technical task force comprising development partners, the Ministries of Finance and the Food and Agriculture will monitor the distribution of the relief items to ensure fairness and accountability.

“We are committed to ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of these resources that we are mobilizing to respond to this crisis,” Dr. Amin Adam assured.

Adam explained that GH¢2.5 billion out of the GH¢8 billion allocated for the crisis response will be drawn from the contingency fund and GH¢2.4 billion as support from development partners.

He noted that the support from the World Bank will be used for cash transfers and supply of inputs while funds from the budget will be used to provide food relief to farmers.

The minister for Defense, Dominic Nitiwul assured that the government has deployed and intensify security across the borders to ensure no grain is exported or smuggled out of the country.

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