Nssuekyir (C/R), Nov. 29, GNA – Alhaji Zubariru Kassim, Effutu Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has said that ensuring food security was a crucial component of the nation’s security and safety.
Alhahji Kassim, stated this in an address he delivered at the commemoration of the 37th Farmers Day at Nssuekyir in the Winneba Municipality, where 14 farmers were awarded.
The overall best farmer in the area went to Mr Isaac Asante Achempem General Manager of Nii Moi Farms, located at New Winneba.
He received a Tricycle (Aboboyaa), Knapsack sprayer, Wellington boots, and a certificate as his award.
The planting for Food and Jobs programme, he stated, could strengthen the food security system in the country and therefore must be given serious attention by all stakeholders.
According to Alhaji Kassim, the Ghana Food Security Strategy (GFSS), a five-year integrated strategy as required by the Global Food Security Act of 2016, would help propel the Ghana Beyond Aid mantra.
“This plan reflects an evidence-based, inter-agency approach for Ghana to achieve the GFSS goal of reducing poverty, hunger and malnutrition through the three objectives of agriculture-led growth, resilience, and nutrition while positioning the country to become self-reliant”, he stated.
Alhaji Kassim indicated that globally, the GFSS, will support the protection of Ghana’s offshore fisheries in the coastal areas and also make a separate investment into valuable cash crops across the country to support the growth of agriculture by accelerating trade and also to make Ghana self-reliant.
On the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme, he said the Municipality focused on maize production and ventured into other crops, including cereals, pepper, cabbage, lettuce, carrot, cucumber, cassava, and sweet potato.
This expansion was to widen the employment opportunity for the youth in Effutu to earn decent incomes and to ensure food sufficiency.
The government the MCE noted subsidized fertilizer to about 50 percent to make them affordable and available to farmers to enhance soil fertility and thus increase yields of which the government needed to be commended.
Mr Kwame Kuma, Effutu Municipal Director of Agriculture, in his address, stated that consolidating food security required all stakeholders on board
He stressed the need to secure arable lands by creating land banks to be earmarked for agriculture purposes.
He further called for a second look at developing the seed system, saying it will require more research work on the Country’s indigenous seeds and make them climate-smart than always importing seeds.
Mr Kuma believed the strategies mentioned when combined and implemented, will go a long way to create an enabling environment for consolidating the food security system through sustained food production.
GNA