DAILY NEWSFLASH – Civil Society Group Arise Ghana has called on government to improve agricultural marketing systems to guarantee farmers reliable and profitable markets.
The group also urged government to invest heavily in storage and agro-processing infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses.
According to Arise Ghana, agriculture must be treated as a long-term national priority, with policies backed by strong institutions and legislation rather than short-term political interventions.
“Ghana has the land, human resources, entrepreneurial talent and agricultural potential to become a major food-producing and agro-processing economy in Africa. What we need is consistency, investment, accountability and a long-term national vision,” the group said in a statement.
The group also presented what it described as an independent and unbiased assessment of the performance of the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Eric Opoku, concluding that the Minister has performed well in some areas but still has more work to do.
“So far, the Minister for Food and Agriculture is on track per our assessment of the policies he is implementing ambitiously. However, it’s equally important we emphasise that the success of his leadership will ultimately be measured not by the number of policy announcements, but by what happens on the farms, in the markets and in the homes of ordinary Ghanaians,” the statement added.
Arise Ghana further outlined a number of recommendations for the Agriculture Minister, aimed at strengthening policy implementation, improving accountability and delivering better outcomes for the sector:
– Publish measurable annual targets for the major agricultural programmes
– Establish a transparent public monitoring system for citizens to track implementation
– Strengthen farmer databases to reduce ghost beneficiaries and improve targeting
– Expand irrigation infrastructure and establish clear maintenance arrangements
– Improve access to affordable agricultural finance, especially for smallholder farmers and young agribusiness entrepreneurs
– Strengthen agricultural extension services and provide extension officers with adequate logistics
– Improve agricultural marketing systems to guarantee reliable and profitable markets
– Invest heavily in storage and agro-processing to reduce post-harvest losses
– Give women and young people a stronger role in agricultural programmes
– Institutionalise agricultural reforms so that successful programmes survive changes in government
_Source: The Ghanaian Farmer_
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