Government debunks NPP claims on agric sector
The government has debunked claims by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) that the fortunes of the agriculture sector is dwindling.
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It stated that absolute food production levels had increased from 2009, to date, under the National Democratic Congress government.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Clement Kofi Humado, in reaction to claims by the NPP in Accra yesterday, noted that as the country improves its economy into middle income and high income status, the contribution of agricultural sector to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had declined with time, in favour of industry and services sector Ghana, he said, continued to produce enough to feed its population and had generated surpluses for agro industry and for export.
The NPP held a press conference a fortnight ago stating that the country’s agriculture is grinding to a halt since the 2007 farming season.
According to the NPP, the poor annual growth rate of 2.5 per cent average in the last three years in the agricultural sector, compares unfavourably with an oil-driven average growth of some 10 per cent in the general economy during the period, signified onset of the Dutch Disease.”
“From negative 1.7 per cent in drought-hit 2007, agricultural growth recovered strongly to 7.4 per cent in 2008, 7.2 per cent in 2009 and then slowed to 5.3 in 2010. Growth hit the bottom of 0.8 per cent in 2011, and then stayed down at 1.3 per cent in 2012,” the NPP added.
But refuting the allegation, Mr Humado used statistics from the Ghana Statistical Service for the agricultural sector GDP growth rate since 2007, to date.
He explained that agricultural performance as measured by the value of Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (AgGDP) over the period 2007-2012 increased from GH¢5.3 billion in 2007 to GH¢6.6 billion in 2012. This represents 24 per cent increase in the value of agricultural GDP over the reference period.
He added that maize production increased from 1.4 million metric tonnes in 2008 to 1.9 million metric tonnes in 2012; local milled rice, 181,000 metric tonnes in 2008 to 289,000 metric tonnes; cassava, 11.3 million metric tonnes in 2009 to 14.5 million metric tonnes in 2012.
Yam, 4.8 million metric tonnes in 2008 to 6.6 million metric tonnes in 2012, while plantain increased from 3.3 million metric tonnes in 2008 to 3.5 million metric tonnes in 2012; meat, 101,000 metric tonnes in 2008 to 127,000 metric tonnes in 2012.
“Fish production (capture and aquaculture) increased marginally from 416,000 MT in 2008 to 443,500 MT in 2012. The increase in fish production came largely from aquaculture that increased significantly from 6,500 MT in 2008 to 27,500 MT in 2012, representing 321.4 per cent increase”, he added.
He accused the NPP of failing to implement a 20 per cent tariff on poultry imports in 2005, meant to reduce importation of poultry, but the Mahama Administration with determination had reintroduced the tariff.
One of the outcomes of this policy initiative is that aquaculture production experienced an upward growth from 6,514 metric tons in 2008 to 27,451 metric tons in 2012; an increase of 321.4 per cent. This he said, justifies the decision taken by the government to create a separate Ministry for Fisheries.
The minister noted that the government has increased the quantity and value of subsidised fertiliser from 43,176 metric tonnes in 2008 at the cost of GH¢20.6 million to 180,000 metric tons in 2013 at the cost of GH¢60.0 million.
He added that there had been a significant increase in the number of young farmers from 47,000 in 2009 to 80,000 in 2012. In addition, the total land under cultivation had expanded from 11,000 hectares in 2009 to 47,000 hectares in 2010 under the block farm scheme.
“The NDC government places great emphasis on agricultural mechanisation as a means of increasing production, he said and added that between 2009 and 2012, it had added 77 agricultural mechanization service centres (AMSECs) to the 12 that existed under the NPP regime.
By Donald Ato Dapatem & Vincent Musah/Daily Graphic/Ghana