Agricultural News
Government To Subsidize Fertilizer
Ghana
The Government of Ghana has targeted to subsidize 176,000 metric tonnes of granular and liquid fertilizer at a cost of GH¢120.3 million and 151,000 metric tonnes of certified seeds at the cost of GH¢4.8 million, all totaling GH¢124.1 million. Consequently, it has, through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture yesterday, announced the selling price of various types of fertilizers and seeds (which include seeds for maize, rice and soyabean) for the 2012 farming season, which takes effect from Monday, June 4, 2012. The price for Compound fertilizer (all types) is GH¢39.00 per 50 kilogram, Urea is GH¢38.00 per 50 kilogram and Sulphate of Ammonia is GH¢35.00 per 50 kilogram. The seed prices are: GH¢45.00 per 45 kilogram of maize, GH¢35.00 per 50 kilogram of rice and GH¢45.00 per 45 kilogram of soyabean. Announcing these at a press conference in Accra, Mr. Kwesi Ahwoi, Minister for Food and Agriculture, said Government was subsidizing fertilizers at an average of 43.3 per cent and seeds at an average of 36.6 per cent. [more]
Minister Unsure of Sustaining Fertilizer Subsidy
AllAfrica.com
After assuring farmers that government would not withdraw the subsidy on fertilizer, Minister for Food and Agriculture, Kwesi Ahwoi, has made a u-turn and wondered whether the subsidy could be sustained in view of financial constraints buffeting the national coffers. Whether we can sustain the subsidy program is questionable. Subsidy should give us improved seeds and improved yields... But there is no sufficient funding for science and technology, Mr. Ahwoi stated. He made the remarks before he launched the first Africa Human Development Report at the University of Ghana in Accra on Wednesday. The launch was under the theme Towards a Food Secure Future. The 193-page report was prepared and published by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Africa this year. The report explores the paradoxes of the recent significant economic and human development indicators in sub-Saharan Africa which do not commensurate with the impact on food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition; and the existence and persistence of food insecurity in the face of the region's immense natural resources. Mr. Ahwoi decried the situation in which research results on agriculture ended on the shelves of research institutions while testing of the results ended on experimental farms, causing a waste of public funds and resources. [more]
Ghana Says 2012/2013 Fertilizer Subsidy Unchanged
Reuters Africa
Ghana will maintain fertilizer subsidy levels for all its crops for the 2012/2013 growing season, senior government officials said on Monday after speculation by some on markets that cocoa subsidies might be cut due to low world prices. Agriculture Minister Kwesi Ahwoi said non-cocoa subsidies would be maintained at current levels even though the government will have to pay over 50 percent more to fund the program due to rising costs. Kwabena Asante Poku, deputy chief executive in charge of operations at regulator Cocobod, rejected talk of any reduction in subsidies in the world's No. 2 grower. [more]
World Bank Deliberates on Brazilian Experience in Agriculture
Vibe Ghana
Mr. Andre Nepomuceno Dusi, Structuring Projects Coordinator of Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), on Tuesday pledged the Brazilian Government’s commitment in helping to develop the agricultural capacity of African countries especially, those in the Sub-Saharan region. EMBRAPA, an offshoot of Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, was established in 1973 to turn around Brazil’s agricultural production. Addressing participants from six countries in Africa on the operations of EMBRAPA during a video conference organized by the World Bank in Accra, Mr. Dusi cited the provision of adequate infrastructure as the main issue that helped turn around Brazil’s agricultural production. Participating countries included Ghana, Liberia, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, while those who delivered the speeches were based in Washington DC, United States. The conference was to present experience of Brazilian corporations in agriculture, social protection, vocational and technical training. [more]
Food Crisis/Security
Soaring Food Prices Worrying
Peace FM Online
Rising food prices have been found to be the topmost household worry for most Ghanaians who spend more than half of their earnings on food. Since the beginning of the year, the situation has been compounded by the weakening of the Ghana Cedi, which has weakened households’ purchasing power. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in its latest study has found that Ghanaians spend about 62 percent of their incomes on sourcing food, and the situation has been exacerbated in some areas of the country where the cost of such things as rent, and commuting are higher. [more]
Reports
Social Adoption of Groundwater Pumping Technology and the Development of Groundwater Cultures: Governance at the Point of Abstraction.
Thematic Report 8 draft 7 Feb 2012
The concentration of examples of groundwater irrigation from India and the United States High Plains aquifer reflects the extensive availability of appropriate technical papers. The considerable work undertaken and reported on from other major groundwater based irrigation areas has been examined but coverage from these areas is more fragmented. However, the available papers in many cases report similar situations developing across all groundwater basins in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Australia and the Americas. The detailed role of pump user groups has not been specifically highlighted as these are seen as constantly evolving as schemes expand, mature and decline under the influence of external and internal political and economic developments alter the social structure of the communities. [more]
Struggles over Property Rights in the Context of Large-Scale Transnational Land Acquisitions. Using Legal Pluralism to Re-Politicize the Debate. Illustrated With Case Studies from Madagascar and Ghana
Institute of Development Policy and Management. Discussion Paper / 2012.02
A key issue in the context of increasing large-scale land acquisitions in developing countries is how poor populations can prevent their land rights being encroached upon by more powerful actors. To date, the majority of policy recommendations have been directed towards the legal recognition and formalization of land rights in order to safeguard local and historical land rights holders, as well as towards the design and implementation of ‘voluntary’ guidelines or codes of conduct which should regulate large-scale investments in land, in order to contribute to positive development outcomes. We argue, however, that these types of recommendations tend to depoliticize the debate surrounding access to land and natural resources. This paper therefore aims to reintroduce a political dimension into the analysis, by proposing a framework based on the socio-institutional definition of land rights consistent with the legal pluralist approach. [more]
Thank you
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