The Agric Development Bank, ADB, has organized the 11th dinner night for Awardees of the 38th edition of the National Farmers Day Celebration.
The awardees were entertained to live band music and fed with sumptuous meals, sparkling wine and drinks at the Residency of the Eastern Regional Minister in Koforidua.
Speaking to the media at the sidelines of the dinner night, the General Manager, Agribusiness, at Agric Development Bank (ADB) Kwame Asiedu Attrams say the bank is ready to provide the needed financing for local farmers to enable them to produce enough food to meet local demands in the face of government’s move to discourage importation of foods produced locally.
A few weeks ago, the Minister of Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah hinted at plans by the government to ban the importation of certain goods.
“Government has deployed pragmatic and practical strategies to strengthen the capacities of local producers to help increase the local production of food items. We have already acknowledged that the present economic woes of the country were a result of the high rate of importation and demand for foreign goods, especially food items. That is why the government has decided to ban the importation of certain goods such as poultry products, rice, fish, and cooking oil among others,” he said.
Subsequently, the central bank announced on November 18, 2022, that it will no longer provide forex support for the import of rice, poultry, vegetable oils, toothpicks, pasta, fruit juice, bottled water, ceramic tiles and a few others.
Mr Kwame Asiedu Attram stated that ADB is committed to meeting the technical and financial obligations required to support local farmers to expand production to meet demands.
“As we’ve heard they are putting checks on the unbridled importation of what can be produced locally. We are available to support that course by providing access to finance so that as government creates that space for the farmers to produce to fill in, we also provide the financing to be able to produce and meet that objective”.
He said building a robust agricultural sector is a shared commitment hence as the government and ADB are advancing efforts towards the sector to achieve food security and create jobs, Ghanaians must patronize locally produced food to help fulfil these objectives.
The Deputy Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Moses Anim commended Ghanaian farmers for ensuring food security in spite of challenges that bedevilled the agric sector as a result of exogenous factors.
He appealed to ADB to extend its financial support to the aquaculture sector to help reduce the huge fish deficit.
Koforidua is the host for the 38th National Farmers Day Celebration to be held on December 2, 2022.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Obed Ansah
