2009 National Best Farmer Calls for Institutional Reforms

By Lawrence Vomafa-Akpalu

The 2009 National Best Farmer Davies Narh Korboe, has called for institutional reforms to make the agricultural sector the game changer in the country's quest for economic growth.

According to him, the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda and its laudable policies would not meet its intended target if policies were not put in place to address challenges confronting farmers in the agriculture value chain.

Mr Korboe said this at a panel discussion on leveraging Quality Infrastructure as a tool to promote Ghanaian exports.

The one-day event organised by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) in collaboration with the German Cooperation and Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), sought to solicit inputs from participants and operators in the value chain towards making the country's agriculture sector competitive and attractive to meet the demands of the international community.

He said the high electricity tariffs and the huge taxes at the ports had made the country's produce unattractive to the farmers and entrepreneurs, as such called for a policy to streamline the activities of such policies.

Mr Korboe indicated that most expatriate retail shops prefer selling imported vegetables because such products were highly subsidised, making them much more cheaper than locally produced goods.

He urged the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and other regulatory bodies to place soil scientists and other agricultural experts at the farms to ensure that they produce to specifications of the international markets.

The Head of Business of the GSA, Mr George K. Anti, said favourable trade practices depended on standards, and urged producers to meet compliance standards.

Quality goods, he explained, started from the planting of quality seeds to the harvesting of goods that meet the demand of customers, hence the need to abide by the demands of the customers.

Mr Eramus Ashong of The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), urged the producers to comply with the country's production procedures to enable their produce meet specifications of the international market.

According to him, the Quality Infrastructure systems of the country was in line with international standards, as such must be patronised to assist the producers get value for money.

The Director-General of the GSA, urged importers and exporters to consult the authority on their activities, for the needed expertise to boost their businesses.

He thus, advised exporters to acquire the relevant permits and certificates to meet the standards of their destination countries.

The Project Coordinator of PTB, an implementing agency of the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), Madam Carola Heider, charged the implementing agencies to raise the standards of the producers to meet targets.

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