Agnes Ansah
Accra, Nov. 25, GNA-Nana Yaw Sarpong Siriboe, National Best Farmer 2022/2023, says there is more risk in betting than in farming and urged the youth to invest in the agricultural value chain for good returns.
He said that was the only way they could transform their lives with a sustainable source of income.
“There is risk in every venture. There is a risk even in eating… so, I wonder why sometimes they [youth] talk about risks, because the risk of Mybet is too much for me. It [mybet] doesn’t give you any chance. It is 100 per cent win and 100 per cent loss,” he noted.
He said this at the 2023 Akufo Hall National Best Farmers Lecture held at the University of Ghana (UG) in Accra.
The lecture was on the topic “Resilience, Technology, and Humanism: The Past, the Present and the Future of the Ghanaian Farmer.”
Nana Siriboe explained that though there were risks in the agricultural sector, they were surmountable due to advancements in technology.
He said farmers, for example, were able to overcome risks such as unpredictable rainfall patterns, floods and drought due to the emergence of climate-smart technologies and could cultivate vast acres of land in just a day.
The agric value chain – from the sale of farm inputs, processing, and harvesting to the marketing of products, presented numerous opportunities and choices of business that you could earn a living from, he said.
Nana Siriboe also called on the government to implement critical policies that would boost the confidence of the youth in the sector.
He applauded the government for the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative but urged that the challenges that characterised the first phase be addressed.
Dr Isaac Adupong, Representative of the Minister of Food and Agriculture, said that the government was aware that the agricultural sector was the key drive of Ghana’s economy, contributing not less than 21 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product and employed a chunk of Ghana’s workforce.
He said it was that awareness that led the government to implement critical initiatives, including the PFJ.
He said the government would do more going forward to ensure that the sector was attractive to the youth.
GNA