Successive governments have over the years rolled out several policies to boost the agriculture sector. Many industry watchers however believe even though some of the policies have yielded positive results they have yet to make the desired economic impact.
Despite implementation of such policies over the years, agriculture continues to decline in terms of its contribution to GDP – which the services sector currently leads. This, many industry watchers believe is only a reflection of the lack of consistent well-coordinated policies and investments for the agriculture sector.
According to the General Secretary of GAWU, the longstanding woes of the sector are as a result of not only the lack of adequate policies but the failure to implement existing policies to the letter. “The policies as they stand are very good, the implementation is what Ghana needs to work on for the desired results.
So, we need an attitudinal change in how we also develop and implement the policies – which has largely been at the corridors of public officials. We need to also look for experts who can contribute significantly to policy development” he advised. “We also need to improve on policy governance and coordination so that people can own and integrate the policies in their lives rather than feel they have been imposed on them.
That is, the policies over the period have been largely top-down driven – prepared by government and imposed on the actors. But policy makers must consider the farmers as well because they know their system, challenges and priorities better” he added.
