Government is to increase budgetary allocation for the Youth in Agriculture programme by 500% raising the amount from GH�10 million to GH�60million next year.
The move is to encourage medium and large scale food production among the youth, especially in areas of comparative advantage, to triple food production within the next three years. It is also meant to cut down on the country�s use of foreign exchange on food imports and make the cedi munch stronger.
According to Vice President John Mahama, Ghana currently imports food to the tune of one billion dollars annually, a trend that the government was determined to reverse. To this end �government is mapping out a strategy to encourage the production of soyabean, maize and other cereals that form the core of staples enjoyed by the citizenry.�
He said the government was also designing an initiative on poultry production, which it planned to roll out soon, to ensure a reduction in the amount of poultry products the country imported. �Our policy is to encourage import substitution by increasing the production of crops and livestock in areas of comparative advantage, to the country to cut down on foreign exchange rate,� he said.
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