The deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, Mr. Kwame Asafu Adjei, has said government should not depend solely on proceeds from the oil and gas industry in running the economy.
However, he wants the government to prioritize agriculture as the man anchor in his administration, arguing that, Ghana has no absolute control of its full production.
Mr. Asafu Adjei, who is also the Member of Parliament for Nsuta Beposo Kwamang Constituency, said he was optimistic that, the policies outlined in the 2017 budget will contribute to growth of the agric sector.
He observed that, the last out gone NDC government allocated about GHS500 million to the agric sector in the 2016 budget, but a little over GHS 3 million was released as at December 2016.
Mr. Asafu Adjei, who was speaking in an interview with the President of GARDJA, Richmond Frimpong, noted that this contributed to the poor performance of the sector, last year.
The government in the 2017 budgetary statement projected agric sector to grow by 3.5 percent in 2017, underpinned by the continued recovery of the crops sub-sector, with expected increases in the production of rice, maize and the tubers.
It is also projected to grow by 4.0 percent and 4.2 percent in 2018 and 2019, respectively, thereby attaining an average growth rate of 3.9 percent for 2017-2019. With these he is convinced that, it will give rural dwellers a relief since most of these people are farmers.
“We must stop treating agriculture as development programs, agriculture must be treated as business to aid the economy of Ghana to grow strong,” he stated.
Listen to Hon Kwame Asafu Adjei
