Peasant Farmers to hold discussion on Planting for Food and Jobs

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) in collaboration with the Crop Directorate of Ministry of Food and Agriculture will hold a national discussion on Planting for Food and Jobs policy.

A statement issued in Accra by Pascal K. Kudiabor, Communication Officer, PFAG said the discussion will also focus on the Fertilizer Subsidy programme for 2017.

The Peasant Farmers on April 28, this year launched the “2017 PFAG fertilizer watch dogs,” in Paga in the Upper East Region to monitor fertilizer and seed distribution in all hotspots and border towns in the three Regions of the North, where fertilizer smuggling is high.

It said subsequent to that, PFAG members in all the other ten regions were also tasked by the national executives to monitor the implementation of the Planting for Food and Job programme and the fertilizer subsidy programme.

The statement said the purpose of the roundtable discussion to be held in Tamale from September 27th and 28th was to interact with farmers across the country in order to provide government with concrete evidence of successes and challenges of the implementation of the policy to help improve future programmes.

The Planting for Food and Job programme seeks to create some 750,000 jobs and would motivate farmers to grow staple foods such as maize, millet, and beans.

It said in support, PFAG would meet farmers to ascertain the extent to which they are benefitting from the policy, their challenges and solicit from farmers, how the challenges could be resolved.

The statement quoted Mr Charles Kwowe Nyaaba, the Programme Officer, PFAG as saying “The approach of meeting the farmers is to create a platform for government to touch base with farmers and listen to their concerns regarding the implementation of the initiative.”