Under His Excellency Former President John Mahama’s presidency the Ministry of Agriculture undertook slew of key measures to improve Agriculture in Ghana.
The Ministry highlighted key initiatives and policies in line with President Mahama’s vision of making agriculture attractive to the youth and doubling farmers income. In order to acknowledge Ghana’s debt to cocoa the mainstay of the country’s economy, the government of President Mahama undertook various steps, all aimed at promoting this vital sector of the economy. The government of Mr Mahama
-introduced the free fertilizer distribution system to the cocoa farmers. In 2013, subsidies on 166,807 metric tonnes were given to farmers as against 43,176 metric tonnes in 2008. That singular initiative moved fertilizer coverage from 8kg per hectare in 2008 to 12kg per hectare in 2013.
In 2014, the Mahama administration increased producer price of cocoa by 62.7 percent
I.e from Ghc 3,392.00 per tonne to Ghc 5,520.00 per tonne.
-Apart from the free fertilizer distribution Cocobod distributed 50 million improved cocoa seedlings free of charge to farmers to replace aged and dying trees.
-This intervention created jobs for four thousand (4,000) youth in 87 cocoa growing communities.
In the 2015/16 seasons, 60 million additional seedlings were made available. In August 2015 government fully redeemed its obligation under the $1.7 billion syndicated loans for the 2014/15 crop season
Cocobod secured $1.8 billion at an interest rate of 1. 1995 percent for the 2015/16 crop season. Part of it was invested in the cocoa roads improvement programme
Apart from these laudable projects, the Mahama administration extended
It has always been the desire of Mr Mahama to close the gap between the affluence of a small business class and the roaring majority of the working people, the glittering city life and the drudgery, poverty and darkness in our villages and countryside. Celebrating farmers day without taking a critical look at challenges facing them is not enough. To attract the youth to our farming communities and keep them in the framing communities, President Mahama embarked on massive cocoa roads construction, built hospitals, CHPS compounds, polyclinics, schools etc in these communities and constructed roads connecting these areas to the nearby towns and cities and make conveying of students possible.
The Mahama administration noted that the world’s sugar crisis at the time would affect the demand for cocoa product. He knew we cannot sorely demand on cocoa. We have to depend on other revenue earning commodities. This was what informed the establishment of the Komenda Sugar factory. Planting of sugarcane to feed the factory would have created jobs for thousands of our youth. In the western region one of the cocoa growing communities, the Mahama administration embarked on these projects
- Reconstruction of Benchima Junction – Oseikojokrom Road
- Reconstruction of Prestea – Samreboi Road
- Reconstruction of Anyinabirem – Sui- Bodi Road
- Reconstruction of Akontombra – Bodi – Juaboso Road
- Reconstruction of Akontombra – Sefwi Wiawso Road
- Reconstruction of Enchi – Dadieso Road
- Reconstruction of Daboase – Atieku Road
- Reconstruction of Juaboso – Dadieso Road
- Reconstruction of Anto Dompem – Daboase Road
- Reconstruction of Edwenase – Atobiase Road
- Reconstruction of Sefwi Wiawso /Asawinso Town Roads
- Reconstruction of Daboase Town Roads
President Akufo Addo told Ghanaians he did not inherit a pesewa from his predecessor..what about the 125 million Canadian dollars the Mahama administration secured from the Canadian government which was used the main support fund for the planting for food and jobs programme. The President [Nana Addo] in his maiden state of the nation address, lied that his government secured the 125 million Canadian dollars. All the gains made in the Cocoa industry were as a result if the policies the Mahama administration implemented.
Appointees of the Mahama administration were made to contribute towards the building of CHPS compounds in the farming communities. Apart from the many district hospitals, the Mahama administration planned to establish special cocoa clinics across the country, a generous tertiary education scholarship for children of cocoa farmers
Apart from the service centres, the government also planned opening shops at vantage points where farmers can buy Items they may need on their farms.
The Mahama administration was about to introduce “the Cocoa farms redemption scheme” wherever loans will be given to cocoa farmers to reclaim their farm pledged to money lenders.
Apart from the technical and vocational schools, the Mahama administration planned to establish in all the regions, cut Sod for the establishment of an Agric university.
It must also be established that Ghana’s worst record in agriculture was the 1.7 percent in 2007 under President Kufour
The Mahama administration did not neglect the fishing and poultry industries. A fish processing factory was established at Elmina
The Mahama administration constructed modern cold stores at Prampram, Nyanyano, Shama, Sekondi-Takoradi, Half Assin and Kormantse.
The government facilitated the acquisition of over 3,000 outboard motors for fishermen following the distribution of 1,622 since 2010
In president Mahama commenced the distribution of 1,000 outboard motors of fishers and Installed tracking devices on all industrial trawlers and tuna vessels to control illegal fishing.
The support the Mahama administration gave to the poultry industry remains unprecedented. Because of the support the Mahama administration gave to the poultry industry, Importation of poultry reduced. By 2016, poultry importation had reduced to about 40 percent.
Not for sale fertilizers being sold to fertilizers. We were told by the Akufo Addo government that the first tranches of cocoa loan syndication were expected to hit Bank of Ghana’s amount for. October. We were also told that officials of Ghana Cocobod signed an agreement with 21 banks I. The Netherlands to aid cocoa purchases and other liabilities. We were told that the first would be 50 percent of the $1.3 billion which would translate to about $650 million with an additional $450 million in November. The PBCs are complaining of lack of funds to purchase cocoa. Cocoa price on the international market has doubled but the government has not to increase producer price.
