Mr Yaw Frimpong Addo, Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, says the Ministry is working towards moving agriculture from smallholder, medium to large scale.
That, he said, would attract financial institutions to the sector.
Mr Addo said this at the Second Edition of the Gathering of the Royals in Accra, organised by Agrihouse Foundation to strengthen the relationship between Queen Mothers and agribusiness in Ghana.
The gathering had Queen Mothers who were farmers from the 16 regions of the country, the agribusiness value chain players, policy makers and development partners.
The Deputy Minister noted that some financial institutions were reluctant to lend money to farmers because they perceived agriculture to be a risky venture.
“They would rather give the money to somebody to go to China to go and bring and sell or rather encourage people to go and buy treasury bills instead of investing in agriculture… ”
Mr Addo attributed the phenomenon to the way agriculture was done in the country with inadequate irrigation schemes, dependence on weather and poor processing facilities.
“ We are trying… the Agriculture Development Bank ( ADB) and some other financial institutions are ready to come in. And we hope that they will really, live up to their words when we also do the needful” the Deputy Minister said.
Mr Addo commended all women in the agriculture sector for their immense support to the economy.
Miss Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, Executive Director, Agrihouse Foundation, said the Queen Mothers were agents of change and influences of growth.
She noted that over the years the event had made key impacts, including the introduction of “One Household, One Garden” initiative.
Miss Akosa said there had also been training by the Organic Group Protectant ( OCP), one of the largest phosphate and fertilisers companies in communities with the Queen mothers as entry points.
The Executive Director applauded the Government and development partners for their contributions, while urging all stakeholders to play their roles effectively to enhance agribusiness.
Dr Dorothy Effah, Policy Officer, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), said one of the central goals of every developing country was to increase income through agriculture.
She said communities must provide the enabling environment for women to thrive and to keep on participating in agricultural programmes.
Agrihouse Foundation is a Non- Governmental agricultural capacity building organisation in Ghana.
Source: GNA
