By Samira Larbie
Accra, Sept. 26, GNA – Mr Augustus Tanoh, the Presidential Advisor on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Secretariat, has called for a transformation of agricultural extension services to improve productivity, value addition and market access for Ghanaian farmers.
He said extension officers must move beyond helping farmers increase yields to acquiring skills in storage, processing, finance, standards, logistics, agribusiness and market requirements.
Mr Tanoh made the call at the Hungary-Ghana Agricultural Cooperation Forum in Accra, where a partnership between the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture and the Governance Africa Foundation to train agricultural extension officers was highlighted.
He said the success of international cooperation should be measured not by agreements signed or workshops held, but by knowledge transferred, institutions strengthened and productive capacity created.
“The real value of international cooperation is not measured by agreements signed or workshops held. It is measured by the knowledge transferred, the institutions strengthened, the productive capability created and ultimately by whether our people become better able to produce food for themselves,” he said.
Mr Tanoh said Hungary’s technical expertise, experience and technology, combined with Ghana’s fertile land, agricultural institutions, farming population and large domestic and regional markets, could provide a strong foundation for transforming agriculture.
He described extension officers as a bridge between science and farming, policy and production, and increasingly between production and demand.
He said production without adequate storage could increase post-harvest losses, while production without processing could depress prices, and production without market access could leave farmers with unsold crops.
“The question cannot only be how much the farmer can produce. It must also be who will buy it, at what quality, at what price, how will it be processed and how much of that final value will remain with the farmer,” he said.
Mr Tanoh said future extension officers should understand seeds, soil, irrigation and mechanisation, as well as education, standards, basic agribusiness, processing, finance and market requirements.
He said the training initiative fitted into the government’s 24-hour economy and accelerated export development programmes, particularly the GROW24 agricultural sub-programme.
According to him, GROW24 seeks to establish integrated agricultural value chains linking farmers to irrigation, mechanisation, quality inputs, extension services, aggregation, storage, processing, finance, logistics and markets.
He said improved skills would raise productivity, create volumes that could make processing viable, increase value addition and exports, and ultimately create jobs.
Mr Tanoh also stressed the need to strengthen farmer organisations and cooperatives to improve smallholder farmers’ bargaining power.
He stated that organised farmers would be better positioned to purchase inputs, access machinery and finance, standardise production, aggregate produce and negotiate with processors and exporters.
He said the Ghana-Hungary partnership should help determine the type of agricultural extension officer Ghana would need over the next 20 years and train personnel accordingly.
Success should be measured by improved yields, reduced post-harvest losses, stronger cooperatives, reliable supplies to processors, increased import substitution, and higher exports of value-added agricultural products, he added.
Mr Tanoh noted that post-harvest losses in Ghana averaged between 30 and 40 per cent, with losses in some value chains, including yam, reaching 70 per cent.
His Excellency Tamás Endre Fehér, Hungarian Ambassador to Ghana, said Hungary was committed to sharing its agricultural knowledge and expertise with Ghana through practical partnerships and capacity building.
He said Hungary had developed expertise in crop production, livestock farming, water management, food processing, agricultural research and vocational education, while increasingly embracing innovation and modern technology.
The Ambassador highlighted a Cooperation Agreement between Hungary’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Governance Africa Foundation to launch a training programme for agricultural extension officers.
He said strengthening extension officers’ professional capacities would help transfer modern agricultural knowledge to farming communities and improve productivity, sustainability and resilience.
Mr Fehér said the initiative would also support family farms and rural communities, contributing to food security, job creation, social stability, and reduced economically driven migration.
He said Hungary looked forward to the official launch of the training programme in October and hoped it would mark the beginning of a long-term partnership in agricultural education, innovation, technology and food production.
The forum brought together policymakers, agricultural professionals, businesses, and development partners to explore opportunities for cooperation.
Mr Fehér called for the cultivation of partnerships that empowered farmers, strengthened communities, and created sustainable prosperity for future generations.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo
Reporter: Samira Larbie
Email: [email protected]