We must up the ante for agric transformation – Bawumia

Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia has said one significant way to attain growth in the Agriculture sector is to raise the stakes involved in executing that aim.

Dr. Bawumia, speaking on government’s yet to be launched ‘Marshal Plan’ stressed on the need for more daring solutions to strengthen the ‘Planting for food and jobs’ programme as a way of ensuring its success.

“To achieve the kind of transformation in Agriculture that we want to see, we must up the ante. Thus we must take even bolder decisions to reinforce the planting for food and jobs programme that will change the sector in fundamental ways. We want to see not just incremental steps but major steps what he calls the ‘Marshal Plan’ for agriculture in Africa and in Ghana here,” he said.

The ‘Marshal Plan’ which will be launched in November this year is targeted at increasing food production in the country according to the Vice President, will also “lead to structural transformation and in turn catalyse economic activities and connect major sectors in the economy.”

“It will lead to higher incomes, value addition for jobs and the opportunities that come with being globally competitive. The ‘Marshal Plan’ will also create the conditions necessary for attracting private capital, local and international into large scale commercial agriculture and agribusiness,” he noted.

The ‘Marshal Plan’ as expected by government will improve people’s standard of living, increase employment, attract investors and equip the nation to be globally completive in the agric industry.

Dr. Bawumia charged Ghanaians to contribute to the development of the agriculture as it needs collective efforts.

“We need the ideas, there are a lot of good practitioners here, we believe in learning from the best and having the best ideas. Let’s interrogate, what are the best things. We know that USAID and many other stakeholders have good ideas and I think it is time to let us look at all of them and put them in a strategic document and a policy framework that we can implement to the satisfaction of all stakeholders in the industry and to make sure that we have a major ramping up of Agricultural productivity in Ghana,” he mentioned.