Ghana’s cotton production expected to reach 50,000 tonnes end of 2011

Ghana’s cotton production is to increase from the current 5,000 tonnes to 50,000 tonne by the close this year. This was revealed by the out-gone Country Director of the World Bank – Ishac Diwan, when he interacted with the media in Accra on his final working day.

Although yields of root crops in the country have improved significantly over the period, same cannot be said of cotton. He also said farmers find it very challenging to access formal credit and acquire the necessary inputs to increase production. In view of this, he said the World Bank has advanced a facility to cotton farmers and this would stimulate the increase of cotton production.

He also revealed that, from 1991 to date, agricultural gross product has grown at an average annual rate of 5.1 % and therefore Ghana has performed better than countries often referred to as fast growing agricultural economies, such as Brazil, China and Vietnam.

Ghana which is still an agricultural-based country he said, has about 55% of the economically active population employed in agriculture, with a large majority of poor people living in rural areas.

By Pascal Kudiabor