Owusu Afriyie Akoto

Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has touted the successes chalked by his outfit in the implementation of the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative.

The minister has credited the increase in maize production from 2 million metric tonnes to 2.7 million metric tonnes to the initiative.

He has also projected an increase of between 6-7 million metric tonnes in the next few years for the produce.

According to him, Ghana, in 2019 exported 130 million metric tonnes of nineteen (19) food items to neighbouring West African countries, with the country’s export volume expected to double this year.

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The initiative which he said currently has some 1.1 million farmers benefiting from it, is aiming at reaching all farmers in the country, a move he says will substantially reduce food prices in the country.   

The agric minister was speaking at this year’s National Results Fair held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on Tuesday.

He highlighted plans by the ministry to increase Ghana’s foreign reserves with the introduction of its new initiative known as the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD), which aims at producing food crops mainly for exports.

Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD), is a sequel to the successful implementation of the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.