President John Dramani Mahama says interventions for Ghanaian farmers, whether from local or international sources, must be delivered at the right time to enable the farmers to reap maximum benefits from their toil.
Addressing the second session of the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome, Italy, yesterday, he said it was on record that all over Africa the right interventions delivered at the right time achieved results.
"Improved seeds, agro inputs and micro-finance delivered to smallholder farmers in a timely fashion have seen them quadruple their productivity and thereby their incomes," President Mahama said.
He said increased investment in agriculture was one key strategy to bring the people out of poverty, as majority of them were peasant farmers.
WFP support
Agriculture, President Mahama said, was still the backbone of Ghana�s economy and commended the WFP for working with small-scale farmers who dominated the country's agriculture.
He welcomed the strengthening of the activities of the WFP in Ghana, adding that realigning WFP operations to offer food assistance, instead of food aid, was a positive step.
He also commended the WFP for its engagement in a number of local programmes, including support for primary education, especially for girls, assistance to the country�s school feeding programme, the take-home rations and nutrition support for vulnerable groups, especially supplementary feeding for malnourished pregnant and lactating women, to prevent chronic malnutrition and stunting in children under two years.
President Mahama said Africa also appreciated the immense support by the WFP to the continent's development initiatives.
"I am aware that between 2010 and 2013, an average of 59 per cent of WFP�s operational budget was dedicated to programmes in countries in sub-Saharan Africa,� he said.
President Mahama also mentioned the tremendous impact the work of the WFP was having on Ghanaian farmers.
Development challenges
The President said although Ghana attained a middle-income status in 2010, following the rebasing of its GDP and the discovery of oil and gas, the country was still grappling with some developmental challenges, especially in the agricultural sector.
He mentioned, for instance, the three regions of the north which were characterised by poor soil quality, erratic rainfall, floods and drought and called on the WFP to continue to support the country to overcome the challenges.
Ebola
On Ebola, President Mahama, who is also the ECOWAS Chairman, told the gathering that the results of the strides the Commission was making, in collaboration with the international community, to fight Ebola were encouraging.
"For the first time we are seeing a decline in the number of new infections," he said.
But he was quick to sound a caution: "While this news is very pleasant to the ear, we cannot rest on our laurels yet. We cannot even begin to talk about success because the prevalence of the disease in many border areas between the three countries is still a source of grave concern."
The President touched on the WFP�s response to the Ebola outbreak, saying the organisation's supply of food to vulnerable families and communities had contributed greatly to strengthening those families to fight the disease more effectively.
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