Dr Charles Nyaaba, Executive Director of Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), says the government must ensure easy access to loans with flexible payment terms for farmers and invest more in irrigation schemes. He said decreasing or no interest on loans in the agricultural sector would help farmers accumulate larger acres of lands, afford quality farm inputs to be able to maintain and produce more food across the country. He made the call in Accra at the national multi-stakeholder conference on impacts of IMF bailout on Ghana's agricultural sector. He said government must increase investment in irrigation schemes from the current 2 per cent to 15 per cent to motivate farmers to expand services and plant more for food production. Dr Nyaaba urged the government to give more attention to the agricultural sector to enhance economic growth. He said that access to mechanisation services would help farmers not to depend on solely on manual labour for farming. Besides, government must create a conducive environment to help private investors invest in agriculture, having a central agricultural bank would help government provide loans for farmers for agricultural development. He said when the agricultural sector was growing it would increase output and more revenue for the country. 'Support farmers with land development, feeder roads and rural infrastructure to help put Ghana's agriculture on the development path', he added. He advised government to quit the political interference, corruption and reduce loop gaps in the agricultural industry to put farmers in a better position for effective productivity. Dr Nyaaba advised farmers to see farming as a business, be credible and farm with integrity. Stakeholders and farmers during the plenary discussion agreed on gathering information and registering all farmers nationwide for effective data collection and improved farming practices.
Source: Ghana News Agency