Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has indicated that government through the Development Bank Ghana (DBG) will invest GHS 50 million in the agricultural sector as part of broader plan to bounce the Ghanaian economy back and set it back to its pre-COVID-19 levels.
“Mr. Speaker, Government through the Development Bank Ghana (DBG) has
established a GH¢500 million special credit programme: the DBG Emergency
Economic Programme (DEEP) to support businesses in the agribusiness value chain
over the next five years. The priority sectors are poultry, rice and cereals,
pharmaceutical manufacturing, tourism, textiles and garments for investments to
help build economic resilience,” he said
He made this known when he addressed Parliament on Thursday, November 24, 2022,
during his presentation of the 2023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy.
According to the 2020 Population and Housing Census, more than three million
Ghanaians of 15 years and above are involved in the agricultural sector,
cultivating staple crops, tree crops and forest trees or engaged in aquaculture
and traditional fishing.
The contribution of the agricultural sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
has increased from an average of 2.8 per cent over the four-year period ending
2016 to a four-year average of 5.8 per cent in 2020.
Last year, the sector contributed 8.4 per cent to the value of goods and
services produced within the country.
This the Minister explained that the sector is the backbone of the Ghanian
economy hence, it is only prudent government channels enough resources towards
it.
He said the government over the years has chalked so many successes within the
sector notably through the introduction of flagship programmes such as the
Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) and the Rearing for Food and Jobs (RFJ) and
will continue to roll out more interventions in the sector to boost food
production and create jobs for the youth who want to venture into agriculture.
He called on farmers to take advantage of the intervention to make decent
incomes from farming and improve their standard of living.
Source:
Peacefmonline.com/Ghana