[ad_1]
The government has promised to continue to provide farmers with the tools they need to do their jobs.
This commitment is in line with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture's (MOFA) campaign to shift from the use of rudimentary tools, which hinder growth, using appropriate machinery.
A Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture responsible for horticulture, Mr. George Oduro, made this remark at a stakeholder validation workshop on the project of Ghana's Agricultural Engineering Policy Strategy (GAEPS) on Thursday in Accra.
Tools
Mr. Oduro, who is also MP for New Edubiase in the Ashanti region, said the government's commitment to ensuring that farmers use the right tools was due to the fact that rudimentary tools were being made. of agriculture a tedious and unattractive job for young people.
"On other continents such as the Americas, Europe and Asia, the application of technologies in agriculture has revolutionized agriculture and continues to do so", a- he declared.
He said that all agricultural partners had recognized the growing need for mechanization in the agriculture value chain.
"In 2014, in the Malabo Declaration, the African Union (AU) recognized the importance of having adapted, reliable and affordable machinery to accelerate agricultural growth in Africa", he added.
Mr. Oduro said agricultural mechanization effectively contributes to the efficiency and productivity of all other inputs such as seeds, water, labor and time.
He said that MOFA was aware of this and had put in place several policies and programs, the most recent being the development policy of the food and agriculture sector and the plan of implementation. agricultural sector in the medium term.
He added that the Ministry has also allowed small farmers to have access to various types of machines specially configured for them in Agricultural Mechanization Service Centers (AMSEC).
GAEPS
A representative of FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization), Benjamin Adjei, said that FAO was happy when MOFA contacted it to develop the strategy for Ghana Agricultural Engineering Policy (GAEPS).
He said the country had, over the years, launched various mechanization programs with varying success, adding that it was necessary to better control all efforts, hence the policy.
He added that if the GAEPS was well implemented, it would improve the agricultural sector and boost the government's flagship programs.
Guide
The director of MOFA's Directorate of Engineering Services (AESD), Amatus KB Deyang, said in partnership with FAO that the draft document had been completed and that he would guide the country on the appropriate forms of engineering technologies for agriculture consistent with our farming practices.
He indicated that after several reviews of the policy, the draft report was now ready and was presented to the meeting participants for validation.
Welcoming the participants, Mr Patrick Robert Ankobeah, Acting Chief Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that having machines in themselves would not guarantee productivity in the absence of guidelines guaranteeing their coordinated use. .
He encouraged participants to make contributions that would enrich the document.
GAEPS seeks to contribute to the agriculture sector by enabling the use of appropriate technologies to ensure food security, environmental preservation and sound economic management.
E-mail of the author: This email address is protected from spam. You must enable JavaScript to view it.
[ad_2]
Source link
