Agricultural sector’s contribution to GDP decreases

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Clement Kofi Humado, has conceded that the agricultural sector has relinquished its position as the largest contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the service sector.
He explained that currently, the service sector was the largest contributor to GDP, because the output of the agricultural sector declined slightly from 30.4 per cent in 2006 to 30.2 in 2010, while the share of the service sector increased from 48.8 per cent in 2006 to 51.1 per cent in 2010.

“Agricultural growth decreased from about 7.4 per cent in 2008 to 4.8 per cent in 2010” the minister said in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of the fifth National Food and Agricultural Show (FAGRO) in Accra last Saturday.

The five-day fair, which is on theme: “Linking Trade, Export and Agriculture; A Value Chain Process,” has brought together stakeholders in agriculture from across the world to the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Accra to celebrate the success of the sector and define priorities for the future.

The exhibitors included local and international agricultural companies in the manufacturing, poultry and poultry equipment, seeds and seedlings, aqua culture, feeding equipment, packaging and processing technology, irrigation systems and financial institutions, among others.

On the decline of the agricultural sector’s contribution to the GDP, Mr Humado said there had, however, been some gains and quoted the Ghana Statistical Service’s report which indicated that the agricultural sector’s performance as measured by the value of Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (AGDP) increased from GH¢ 5.3 billion in 2007 to GH¢ 6.6 billion in 2012.

To improve local breeding of livestock, he said, livestock farmers had been supplied with 2,584 livestock and 35,000 cockerels had been distributed to 1,750 farmers in 25 districts at a low price to improve the protein intake of Ghanaians.

On irrigation development, he said, the first phase of the Tano Irrigation Dam had been completed, making available, 1,874 hectares of land for cultivation.

In addition, the rehabilitation of 70 dams in the three northern regions, which were bleached, had also been completed.

By Donald Ato Dapatem & Lydia Ezit/Daily Graphic/Ghana