2 million jobs created from the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative – Agric Minister

• The Minister for Food and Agriculture has revealed that the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative has so far created two million jobs
• Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto said the two million jobs spread across all the five modules
• He made this known while speaking at a press conference in Accra

The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has revealed that President Akufo-Addo's Planting for Food and Jobs initiative has so far created two million jobs.

According to Dr Afriyie Akoto, the two million jobs created are spread across all the five modules under the programme.

He made this known while addressing a press conference in Accra on Sunday, August 29, where he was touting the achievement of the government's initiative.

Read also

You need a license to kill a grasscutter as nationwide ban on hunting begins

“I don’t have the figures for each module now but I know that estimate as of 2020 we had created over 2million jobs from the five modules that we have been operating," he said.

What is Planting for Food and Job?

On April 19, 2017, Akufo-Addo's flagship agricultural campaign, Planting for Food and Jobs was launched in Goaso in the Bono Region.

The initiative has five modules under its umbrella; Food Crops (PFJ), Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD), Greenhouse Technology Villages (3 Villages), Rearing for Food and Jobs (RFJ), Agricultural Mechanization Services (AMSECs).

In Ghana, the food crops subsector is dominated by smallholder farmers whose cropping practices are characterized by inadequate use of productivity-enhancing technologies, low use of quality seeds and fertilizers, and weak market linkages.

These collectively hinder growth in farm productivity. In response, the Government through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) initiated the first flagship module– Planting for Food and Jobs(PFJ) campaign in 2017.

Read also

Beautiful photos drop from sod-cutting ceremony of Agenda 111 hospitals

Northern Region bread bakers on strike

It has emerged that bread bakers in the Northern Region have declared a strike action over the high cost of flour.

These bakers, who provide a chunk of bread to consumers in the Northern Region, told GhOne Television in an interview monitored by Yen.com.gh that they keep incurring losses.

"The flour has increased by over 100 percent. We can't keep selling the bread at the same price we sell - which is 5 cedis. If we increase it too, they can't buy, so we are striking," a bread baker stated.

The strike action, which begins on Monday, August 30, is expected to affect bread consumers in the region as bakers make a case for the price of flour to reduce.

Source: YEN.com.gh