Government would support the activities of AGRA - Hammah

Accra, May 03, GNA - Mr Mike Hammah, Minister for Food and Agriculture, has said government would continue to support the Alliance Green Revolution Africa's (AGRA) Farmer Support Center in Africa (FASCA) initiative, to improve the lot of farmers.

FASCA which was launched in Accra on Thursday under the theme “strengthening farming organizations for the provision of small service farmers in sub Saharan Africa”, is an initiative to develop Farmer Based Organizations FBO in sub Saharan Africa.

Mr Hammah said the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has identified the development and the use of FBO's as an institutional arrangement that will encourage higher production, credit management and market to facilitate agricultural development and growth.

He said that the success of the project would facilitate agricultural development in the country.

He expressed the hope that FASCA as an initiative to develop FBO's, make extension services more available to group farmers in more cost effective manner, strengthen the capacities of FBO's to play an enhanced role in priority setting and decision making, facilitate farmer's access to inputs, credits and basic management services and facilitate the development of FBO Apex bodies to empower farmers to influence policy and lobby for better services.

“Presently the ministry, acting through the directorate of Agriculture Extension Services is collaborating with other donors to strengthen the capacity of FBO's in this country and it is heartwarming that AGRA is also coming on board to support our FBO development support,” he added

Mr Hammah noted that AGRA had helped train and provide seed money for 1,700 input dealers in the Northern and Ashanti regions, collaborated with other partners to improve upon agricultural developments in the northern region and had invested in policy support processes in Ghana.

He said the agricultural sector plays a pivotal role in the attainment of food security as well as the promotion of good health and sustainability in almost all Sub Saharan African economies, therefore a viable and sustainable economic development can only be achieved through the transformation and modernization of the agricultural sector.

GNA