Skip to main content

MINISTRY OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, KOREA INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY (KOICA) LUNCHES RICE VALUE CHAIN IMPROVEMENT PROJECT IN CENTRAL REGION .


MINISTRY OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, KOREA INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY (KOICA) LUNCHES RICE VALUE CHAIN IMPROVEMENT PROJECT IN CENTRAL REGION .


A project Designed to improve Rice production and productivity to support the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led Government initiatives of attaining self-sufficient in rice production has duly lunched in Assin Fosu Municipality in the central Region today with a grant project of USD 8 million from the Government of Korea. 


The Central Regional Minister, Hon Justina Marigold Assan in her welcome Address stated that, Agricultural Remains the major Catalyst for an Economic Transformation of Country Ghana into which investment by both public and private sectors are to pay attention to. 

Hon Justina Marigold Assan stated that, One of the Area we have to consider seriously is the Rice Production. 

" The Central Region has done its bit of trying to produce more rice to reduce this deficit over the years, President Akufo-Addo's Planting for food and Jobs has helped improve rice production in my Region" She stated. 

A total Number of 562.4 Metric Tons of seed rice was distributed to 16,068 Farmers and has increased our estimated Production from 2,846 Metric Tons in 2014 to 19,146 Metric Tons in 2020, She added.


Honorable Justina Marigold Assan, The Central Regional Minister therefore Cautioned Ghanaians to Direct their attention and eating Habits to Local food. "Homemade food and Agricultural products are equally of good quality, available, accessible, affordable and Hygienically packaged for Consumption which everybody must get involved to make sure the we develop long lasting taste for made in Ghana food and Agricultural Products to sustain the gain made in the Country's Economic Development" She said. 

On His part, The Country Director for Korea International Cooperation Agency(KOICA) Mr. Mooheon Kong stated that, the project Lunch was an important milestone, "but we must not remind ourselves that the great success of the project will depend on all Stakeholders of this project."

He Applaud the Government of Ghana, their Partner, Ministry of food and Agricultural, UNOPS who are managing the procurement and hardware component of the Project as well as PMC, DICA, who have overall mandate to coordinate and Manage the project Implementation.

*Speaking to Oman fm news Reporter Nana Yaw Entsie Prof Ike* Mr. Mooheon Kong said he  hope that the project will yield the desired outcome of improving rice production and Value and thereby enhance the livelihood and living Conditions of the farmers.

Director for crops services at Ministry of food and Agricultural (MOFA) Mr. Seth Osei Akoto Said 

Rice has become an important strategic crop in the economy of Ghana and its consumption keeps increasing as a result of population growth, urbanization and change in consumer habits.

 In 2016, paddy rice production was estimated at 688,000 MT and has increased to around 925,000 MT by 2019.

There is however a huge gap between what is consumed and what is produced locally, and this is filled by imports using hundreds of million dollars of scarce foreign exchange. He stated. 

Speaking at the Lunch and Grounds Breaking program to improve rice Value chain in Assin Fosu in the central Region today Mr. Seth

 Osei Akoto Stated that, Ministry of Food and Agriculture is facilitating the production and distribution of certified rice seeds and fertilizers to increase farmers’ accessibility and affordability to increase their productivity and yields.

In 2017, under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) Campaign, a total of 1,698 MT of certified rice seed with complimentary fertilizers were distributed to rice farmers across the country.

This increased to about 6,544 MT in 2019, and to about 10,950 MT of certified rice seed with complimentary fertilizers in 2020. This alone is expected to result in the production of over 1,000,000 MT of paddy rice. The target for 2021 is about 12,000 MT and I am confident that over 1,000,000 MT of paddy rice will be produced.

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is however targeting to be rice self-sufficient by 2023/24 and therefore efforts are being put in place to achieve this target. He added.

Photos attached

Photos attached







Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NPP And NDC Playing "Chaskele" With EC... Rev Dr Worlanyo Mensah

  NPP And NDC Playing "Chaskele"  With EC... Rev Dr Worlanyo Mensah Tensions between Ghana's Electoral Commission (EC), National Democratic Congress (NDC), and New Patriotic Party (NPP) have escalated over alleged discrepancies in the 2024 voter register. Rev Dr Samuel Worlanyo Mensah, vice presidential candidate for the All People's Congress (APC), economist and a lecture at Wisconsin university Accra, has warned that the NDC and NPP's actions during the limited voter registration and special transfer of vote exercise have compromised the register's integrity. "The two major parties were bussing people from their homes to registration centers, encouraging minors and foreigners to register," Dr. Worlanyo alleged. The NDC recently raised concerns upon receiving the provisional voters register, citing bloated electoral rolls in certain polling stations and alleged attempts by the EC to rig the December 7 polls in favor of the governing NPP. In res...
Post a Comment
Read more

NPP Government Shortchanges Cocoa Farmers: A Closer Look at the Discrepancies....Twifo Atti-Morkwa NDC Communication Officer.

NPP Government Shortchanges Cocoa Farmers: A Closer Look at the Discrepancies.... Twifo Atti-Morkwa NDC Communication Officer. In recent years, Ghana's cocoa farmers have faced significant disparities in the payments they receive for their hard work. A comparison of current cocoa pricing practices under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government with those from the era of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) highlights a troubling trend: farmers are being shortchanged, while the government profits disproportionately. As of today, the global market price for cocoa stands at $6,470 per ton. With an exchange rate of Ghc 16.35 to $1, this translates to Ghc 105,784.50 per ton in Ghanaian cedis. Given that one ton comprises 16 bags, this sets the price per bag at Ghc 6,611.00. However, the current government pays cocoa farmers only Ghc 3,000 per ton—just 45.39% of the total price—retaining the remaining 54.61%, or Ghc 3,609.52 per ton. In stark contrast, under the NDC government led by J...
Post a Comment
Read more

Galamsey Fight: Government Must Tread Carefully to Avoid Judgement Debt -- Rev Dr. Worlanyo Mensah

  Galamsey Fight: Government Must Tread Carefully to Avoid Judgement Debt -- Rev Dr. Worlanyo Mensah The Vice Presidential Candidate of the All Peoples Congress (APC) and renowned economist, Rev Dr. Worlanyo Mensah, has cautioned the government to exercise restraint in addressing illegal mining activities, popularly known as "galamsey." Dr. Mensah warned that hasty actions, driven by calls from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), could lead to substantial judgement debts. "Many Ghanaians are advocating for drastic measures, including 'shoot and kill' operations and burning excavators at galamsey sites, under the guise of executive directives, which lack legal backing," Dr. Mensah said. While acknowledging the need to stop illegal mining, Dr. Mensah emphasized that such actions must be grounded in law to achieve their intended purpose. "The government must not forget that foreign and local mining firms with prospective mining licenses from the Ministry o...
Post a Comment
Read more