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| Mr Ahwoi (middle) with Ms Hewitt and Billy Williams (left) |
According to her, volatile food prices and climate change issues were depleting the agricultural resources.
Australia, she said, had harnessed the potential of agricultural research, thereby sustaining positive economic growth of its economy.
Ghanaian officials have benefited from a range of Australian government training opportunities, with nearly 40 recipients, including some officials of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), who were awarded Australia Africa scholarships in 2012 in agreed priority areas.
Ms Hewitt made the call at a roundtable discussion with the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, on the growing partnership between Australia and Ghana on agricultural productivity and food security.
She was accompanied by the Australian High Commissioner, Mr Billy Williams.
Australia is working directly with the MoFA, to strengthen the capacity of farmer-based organisations (FBOs) through enhanced extension services.
This work builds on Australia's agricultural research partnership with the West and Central Africa Council for Agricultural Research and Development, of which Ghana is a key participant.
Ms Hewitt indicated that Australia was committed to deepening her engagement with Ghana across the full spectrum of issues, including enhanced trade and commercial activity, strengthened diplomatic links and increased development assistance.
She said the positive gains of the Australian economy could be attributed to the contribution of the agriculture sector, which has become one of the government’s priority areas.
“The sector played a major role in the country’s recovery from the 2008 global economic challenge such that we did not have to fall on reserves for sustainability, and we believe this is a lesson Ghana can learn from,” Ms Hewitt said.
She stressed that the growing partnership engagement between the two countries targeted technical assistance with a focus on building capacity in agriculture, mining, governance and public policy.
Ms Hewitt further stated that in re-orienting Australia’s development focus, Africa’s engagement would adequately tackle development challenges and also address global food security.
Mr Ahwoi, who received the delegation, indicated that the decline in the agriculture sector’s contribution to Ghana’s gross domestic product (GDP) implies that the service and industrial sector was being prioritised.
According to him, oil production in the country also had the tendency of marginalising the sector greatly, thereby depriving hundreds of people who were dependent and engaged in the sector the survival and economic wellbeing.
“The importation of basic necessities ranging from maize, yellow corn, fish and beef products, and cereals, among others, should, therefore, be a wake-up call for all to be committed to the sector’s growth,” Mr Ahwoi advised.
While lamenting at the minimal progress in the livestock sector, which has seen a lot of importation from Australia, New Zealand, and other countries, the minister also said flooding, drought and severe bush fires caused by the activities of humans were impacting negatively on the agriculture sector.
He said in spite of the FBOs being in place, little success had been achieved in that area as a result of a limited number of extension officers to provide adequate education and guidance to ensure targets were met.
Mr Ahwoi gave the assurance that capacity programmes would be put in place to encourage farmers to have bigger organisations that could give them political bargaining powers.
SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, April 19, 2012
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