Please Walk the Talk, Mr. President

A study by SEND Ghana has revealed that increased budgetary allocations since 2003 to Ghana’s agricultural sector have not resulted in a corresponding rise in the sector’s expected growth rate of 6 percent per annum.

The report noted that between 2003 and 2008 an average of 47 percent of total national budget was spent on the agricultural sector. There was, however, under investment in the sector since an average of 53 percent of national budget to the sector was expended on recurrent expenditure in the period under review.

The study noted for instance that there were regional disparities in the allocations made in the sector to the disadvantage of major food crop producing areas namely, Upper East, Upper West, Northern and Brong Ahafo Regions. Between 2002 and 2008, these regions received 3 percent, 7 percent, and 3 percent of allocations to the sector respectively.

Particularly highlighted in the report is the impact of government spending in the sector on the livelihoods of small holder farmers who dominate the agric sector in the country.

Most of these farmers, the report noted, do not have access to irrigation schemes. Indeed, over 80 percent of them are said to remain largely dependent on rain-fed agriculture where they are at the mercy of climatic conditions.

The Country Director of SEND-Ghana, Mr. Samuel Zan Akologo, has thus urged government to go beyond the rhetoric and come out with a special investment fund and budgetary allocations which tackle only small holder agricultural development.

Indeed, agriculture has, for long, been the mainstay of Ghana ‘ s economy. But it is also true that those engaged in the trade, especially small holders, are some of the poorest people in the country. Why this should be so is anybody ‘ s guess.

But should we allow the situation to move from bad to worse Certainly not! So as Zan Akologo noted, government needs to go beyond the lip service and begin to pay particular attention to small holder farmers, the betterment of the lives of whom will automatically translate into improvements in the standards of living of the mass of the populace who live rurally.

In allocating resources, government must also ensure that the regions that are known to be the poorest and yet the largest food producers, are given special attention.

Irrigation, which has transformed rather barren lands into food baskets elsewhere in the world, has received very little attention in Ghana. If Ghana ‘ s intention to mechanise and modernize agriculture is to succeed, irrigation cannot be taken out of the equation.

Public Agenda therefore adds its voice to that of SEND Ghana that government must walk the talk as far as transforming Ghana ‘ s agricultural sector is concerned.