Youth urged to make use of opportunities in Agricultural value chain– Minister

Agricultural

The deputy Minister for food and Agriculture, Yaw Frimpong Addo, has asked the youth take advantage of Agricultural value chain.

This statement by the Agric Minister comes after an initial batch of 500 youth farmers, processors and agricultural technology (agritech) developers across the country were supported with technology and other innovative ways to engage in smart farming.

Under the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), the support will also train the youth in modern agriculture and help them generate appreciable incomes to meet their personal and business needs through farming as a commercial business venture.

The program dubbed, ‘The Youth in Innovative Agriculture (YIIA)’ seeks to replace the aged farmers with young and smart farmers to ensure agricultural productivity and food security.

Funded from the GH¢100 billion Ghana COVID-19 Alleviation and Revitalization of Enterprises Support (CARES), ‘Obaatan pa’ programme of the Ministry of Finance is targeted at players in vegetable, maize, poultry, livestock, yam and cassava farming.

The youth who will be trained in farming will receive sums ranging from GH¢20,000 to GH¢200,000 as flexible loan facilities.

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The loans are payable within three to five years with a 10 per cent interest rate per annum.

Speaking to the issue on Atinka FM’s AM Drive with host Kaakyire Ofori Ayim, Yaw Frimpong Addo noted that the Agricultural value chain encompasses the acquisition of land to the dining table.

He explained that the fact that, as a youth, you do not have a land does not mean you cannot contribute to the Agricultural value chain.

“There are a lot of stages within the food chain that you can find and contribute as well as improve your life. This however calls for money hence the introduction of this wonderful “Obaatan pa” programme by the Akufo Addo government and all allied ministries. The programme is not only about crop farming. It has to do with all agricultural related businesses,” The deputy Minister for food and Agriculture, Yaw Frimpong Addo told Kaakyire Ofori Ayim.

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu | [email protected]

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