Poor storage of foodstuff identified as major contributor to post harvest losses

The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, says poor storage has been identified as a major Contributor to post harvest loses at the farm gate. 

Speaking on GBC's Current Affairs Program "Talking Point", the Minister said government has resolved to construct  a 1000  metric ton storage capacity in each district especially in the rural areas and a bigger mother feed warehouse at the regional levels. 

For her part, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Economics and Agribusiness of the University of Ghana, Dr. Irene Egyir appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture to draw a Comprehensive plan on the Planting for food and jobs program to make it accessible to researchers and  academia. This, she said, will  enable them to study it for better assessment. 

It will also help monitor emerging impacts of the program, and raise the necessary red-flags when things go off-track. Dr. Egyir reiterated that every good program should be designed with a plan in such a way that impact-assessment could be done.   

Senior Lecturer at the Department of Economics and Agribusiness of the University of Ghana, Dr. Irene Egyir.  Also on the program was a farmer, Richard Nunekpeku who said there is need to seriously commercialize agriculture instead of providing subsidies.  

He noted that commercializing agriculture will make farmers stand up to the task to produce more.

Mr. Nunekpeku noted that the planting for food and jobs program will alleviate challenges farmers encounter in the acquisition of farm inputs and appealed to government to address other problems plaguing the Agriculture sector.

GBC