The implementation of the first phase of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJs) programme achieved significant outcomes, increasing the nation’s domestic rice food production by 80 percent, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has said.

According to Mr Stephen Aidoo, the Techiman Municipal Director of Agriculture, the country saw an increase of domestic rice production from 570,000 metric tons in 2016 to 1,143,000 metric tons in 2021.

He was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of stakeholder’s engagement on the implementation of the phase two of the PFJs (PFJ2.0) held at Techiman in the Bono East Region.

Mr Aidoo said the Municipality had witnessed abundant food production, since the programme was implemented in 2017, and further created numerous job opportunities for the youth interested in agriculture and farming.

The MoFA organised the stakeholders’ engagement to sensitize the participants on the PFJs 2.0 implementation to enable them to capitalise on it, benefit and expand their farming and economic activities, and attended by peasant farmers, Agriculture Extension Agents and District Directors of Agriculture.

It exposed the participants to the PFJs 2.0 concept for their feedback as well as anticipated challenges and proposed solutions towards the implementation of the programme.

Mr Aidoo said with the PFJs 2.0 farmers would access agriculture inputs after they registered and requested for the required inputs.

“The aggregators would then supply the inputs to the farmers at their disposal”, he stated, and advised farmers to take advantage of the programme to better their lots.