Outgrower nucleus schemes key to agric productivity increase – Humado
Developing outgrower-nucleus schemes is the sure way to increase agriculture productivity of small farmers, Food and Agriculture Minister Kofi Humado has said.
“I believe that is the approach to adopt if we have to increase productivity of small farmers, give better market access and obtain critical mass of raw materials for industry,“ the Minister said at this year’s Joint Agricultural Sector Review meeting with stakeholders in Accra on Tuesday.
The outgrower nucleus scheme, Mr Humado said, was the best way to implement the value chain approach and noted that the establishment of the Agribusiness Unit within the MOFA was to support such processes.
He said to ensure efforts being made were in harmony and achieved expected results in the sector, it was important to ensure coordination among stakeholders including development partners and intensified monitoring and evaluation systems.
“We must be constantly informed of what our actions are yielding to either boots our morale or help us redirect our efforts. Otherwise, we may just be throwing away our good money with the hope that we would achieve our goals one day,” he said.
He said the Ministry’s block farm programme with fertilizer subsidy, improved seeds, and support for land preparation interventions had paid off, giving a clear indication that with targeted interventions, results could be achieved.
He said production statistics showed percentage increases in 2012 compared to 2011 for maize, rice, cassava and yam to be 15.8, 3.7, 2.2, and 13.4 respectively.
Mr Inusah Fuseini, Minister for Lands and Natural, said under the government Land Administration Project (LAP I), the Ministry was acquiring Lidar Spectrum Orthophotos to support the Ghana Commercial Agriculture Project.
He said the orthophotos go beyond showing only the land surface characteristics but in addition provide information on the sub-terrain characteristics of the soils to aid agricultural planning and analysis.
“In addition, Lap II will undertake further land rights and land use studies in different parts of the country and early collaboration with you can direct the focus of these studies,” he said.
He said a new term “Large Scale Land Based Investment” is gaining currency within international development dialoque and given the weak institutional structures in Ghana, “great care should be taken to ensure we do not sell our birth right for a mess of pottage.”
The Joint Sector Review meeting, which started in 2008, is aimed at reaching a common consensus among major sector stakeholders on key achievements, implementation challenges and progress against strategic reform priorities.
Mr Odeneho Gyapong Ababioi II, the Medium Tern Agriculture Sector Investment Plan (METASIP) Steering Committee Chairman, said in order to see serious developments in the sector, an appropriate financing mechanism must be determined and provided for.
“After some deliberations of the steering committee, value chain financing has been identified as a useful approach where some market end profits are ploughed back to push production,” he said.
Source: GNA