Reduce duty on imported farming equipment – Farmers to government

The government of Ghana must reduce the duty on farming tools imported into the country to enable the farmers purchase this equipment for their business, Daniel Nii Adey Tagoe Head of Nii Adey family - Krokrobite Langma Tuba, has said.

According to him, most farmers in Ghana are engaged in subsistence farming due to their inability to procure ultramodern farming tools that will help them engage in commercial farming.

He told Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra 100.5FM show in-connection with the Farmers Day celebration that: “If we don’t get the financial support, it will be difficult for us to engage in proper farming in Ghana to grow more yield.

Now most of the people who do not have the capital strength are only engaged in subsistence farming [that is] from hand-to-mouth and this doesn’t help so the government will need to come to the aide of all these farmers.

“Again there should be a duty-free or very low duty on the agricultural machinery imported into this country to enable the farmers purchase these equipment. The high duty on them make the cost expensive.”

Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said his government is poised to modernise agriculture in Ghana.

According to him, modernisation of the agriculture sector is key to this government, thus, all efforts will be channeled into that endeavour.

Speaking in Kumasi on Friday, 1 December during the National Framers’ Day celebration which was marked on the theme: ‘Planting for Food and Job’, Mr Akufo-Addo said: “I wish to state that this government is convinced that agriculture is a key driver of growth and development. The modernisation of agriculture will, thus, remain a priority of this government.

“Our prescription for tackling the problems of the agricultural sector is to operationalise a comprehensive plan to enhance food security, improved farm productivity, strengthen leakages in the stretch and thereby create jobs, improve rural livelihood and wealth for all Ghanaians.

“The thrust of the key policies is to promote agribusiness by placing emphasis on agricultural value chain development in partnership with the private sector.

“We believe this is the way to transform Ghana’s agriculture as we target to move from subsistence to a business-centered approach to agriculture.

“We need to pay attention to all and not neglect any subsector in the pursuit of our goal. There have been numerous interventions in the crops, fisheries and livestock subsectors as part of our agenda to transform agriculture.”