A spokesperson for agriculture of the National Democratic Congress has outlined irrigation as one of the measures that can be used to minimize drought in Ghana's agriculture sector.
According to Harry Yamson, only 12 percent of cultivable land is currently under irrigation in the country.
“In our 2020 manifesto, we the [NDC] plan to double that to 24 percent and we will not do that by borrowing but introducing Private Partnership…We all know the pressure that comes with the budget in terms of debt so we want to double the scale of irrigation in Ghana by doing so in very close partnership with the private sector. At the same time, we have to preserve the catchment areas that allow us to feed our water bodies,” he explained.
Harry Yamson made this known at the Agriculture Manifesto Forum organised by the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) in collaboration with SEND Ghana, Oxfam Ghana, and the International Budget Partnership with a focus to share perspectives and expectations for the agricultural sector by the two main political parties.
Dr Sagre Bambangi, Deputy Minister, Food and Agriculture in Charge of Annual Crops under the governing New Patriotic Party on his part outlined some ongoing and completed farming irrigation projects in the country.
He also reiterated government's commitment to putting in place a strategic response to safeguard Ghana’s food security status and ensure a robust food system that would minimize the impact of destructive forces in the short, medium and long term.
Stakeholders at the forum urged policymakers to remain committed to implementing comprehensive agricultural policies irrespective of their political party affiliation.
They also called for an uninterrupted supply in the value chains and strong market linkages to deepen food safety in all parts of the country.
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