Agricultural Issues
Peasant Farmers Unhappy Over Budgetary Allocation
Ghana News Agency
Peasant farmers from eight districts in the Volta Region have expressed their anger at their district assembly at a workshop that was organized by the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG). The farmers stated that officials from the district and municipal offices of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) seek their contributions and concerns when planning the national budget. However, these concerns are thrown out when the budget gets to the district assemblies for approval. This they say has resulted in the poor development of the agric sector.[more]
Agricultural Policies Should Be Translated Into Action - AGRA
Ghana
Dr. Langyintuo, Policy Officer of Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) on Tuesday urged African leaders to focus on translating agricultural policies into real action. [more]
President Authorizes the Release of $25 million to SADA
Modern Ghana
President John Atta Mills has authorized the Ministry of Finance to release 25 million dollars to the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) to begin its development plans. [more]
Local Governtment/Decentralization
CDD Holds Roundtable on Decentralization
Ghana News Agency
Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr. Aquinas Quansah has stated that government is determined to ensure the transfer of financial resources to assemblies to enhance fiscal decentralization. He said this at a roundtable organized by Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), in Accra. [more]
Articles from the Daily Graphic
Rising Food Prices Increase Burden on Poor
Oxfam has warned that rising food prices burden populations already struggling to buy adequate food. By 2030, it is estimated that the average cost of major crops could rise by between 120% and 180%. Oxfam predicts that climate change will cause half of this increase.
Source: Daily Graphic, Wednesday, June 1, 2011. No. 18548, page 5
Ghana in Record Cocoa Harvest
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) annouced on Monday that the country has achieved it's record harvest of 903,646 metric tonnes. This is the highest record since Ghana registered it's name on the international market as a cocoa producer. In a statement issued by the Public Affairs of COCOBOD, it said that the high record is the result of efforts made by farmers, the government, COCOBOD and major contributors in the cocoa industry.
Source: Daily Graphic, Wednesday, June 1, 2011. No 18548, page 49
Sub-Saharan Africa Loses US$4bn to Post-Harvest losses
According to a World Bank and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) report, post-harvest grain loses in sub-Saharan Africa are estimated at about $4 billion a year. This food loss could meet the minimum annual food requirements of at least 48 million people in the region. The report is titled: "Missing Food: The Case of Post-Harvest Grain Losses in sub-Saharan Africa". Mr. Waqar Haider, a World Bank representative, said Ghana's situation was no different from the rest.
Source: Daily Graphic, Thursday, June 2, 2011. No. 18549, page 16
For more information on these articles, please contact Adwoa Kwarteng at A.Kwarteng@cgiar.org