A particular deal with rice farming may create over 200k jobs – Main NDC member
A number one member of the National Democratic Congress, Kwame Awuah-Darko has stated that with a specific emphasis on rice farming, a key pillar of their 2024 manifesto, over 200,000 sustainable jobs shall be created whereas decreasing Ghana’s dependency on rice imports.
In an interview with 3news on November 26, he stated utilizing the amount of cash spent on Nation Builders Corps (NABCo) Trainees would have began an enormous rice farm.
Mr Awuah-Darko famous that an quantity of GHC700 was spent on every NABCo trainee as month-to-month allowance. NABCo has since its inception employed 100,000 individuals, making a complete of GHC2.5billion within the final 3 years.
“The same amount invested in rice production would have developed 42000 acres of rice farm,” he defined. He added that “If this was implemented from the start, there would have been more than 200,000 sustainable jobs.”
“The NDC are better managers of the Ghanaian economy due to the party’s consistent track record of investing in the productive side of the economy as against the NPPs track record of wasteful expenditure,” he stated.
Mr Awuah-Darko who doubles as a farmer, additional said that the celebration plans to realize this by increasing Irrigation Systems, thus scaling up irrigation schemes in rice-producing areas just like the Northern, Volta, and Ashanti areas
He indicated that the NDC goals to extend rice yields and scale back the dangers related to rain-fed agriculture.
“Investments in modern farming equipment and technologies will improve productivity and efficiency, allowing farmers to cultivate rice on a larger scale, Affordable loans and subsidies for inputs like seeds and fertilizers will enable smallholder farmers to expand operations and establish rice mills and packaging facilities will ensure that locally produced rice meets international standards, boosting domestic sales and exports,” he said.
Synergy with the 24-Hour Economy Initiative
The NDC’s manifesto additionally outlines plans to introduce a 24-hour financial system, designed to maximise productiveness throughout numerous sectors, together with agriculture.
This initiative will complement the agricultural funding technique by:
• Extending processing and manufacturing operations for agricultural produce to function around the clock.
• Establishing logistics hubs to make sure the seamless distribution of farm produce nationwide.
• Creating evening markets in city and peri-urban areas to spice up commerce and scale back post-harvest losses.
• Enhancing rural electrification to help agro-industrial actions.
“The 24-hour economy initiative ensures that agriculture doesn’t end with farming. It creates room for processing, packaging, and marketing to operate without downtime, creating jobs throughout the supply chain,” he defined.
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