President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said his government will transform agriculture in the country within his first term of office.

To help address the declining growth of Ghana’s agricultural sector, the Akufo-Addo-led government soon after assuming power introduced the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) Programme.

According to Mr Akufo-Addo, the programme was successful in its first year with 200,000 farmers participating.

He noted that the programme will be expanded to accommodate 500,000 farmers this year with the target of involving one million farmers by the end of his first term in office.

Nana Akufo-Addo said these at the NPP’s National Delegates Conference in Koforidua on Saturday, 7 July 2018.

He noted that the 200,000 small holder farmers who were in the Planting for Food and Jobs programme were provided with subsidised improved seeds and fertilisers and extension officers which had previously been nonexistent.

“The result was an increase in the production of maize from 1.9metric tons per hectare in 2016 to 3 metric tons per hectare in 2017, an increase in the production of rice from 2.7 metric tons per hectare in 2016 to 4 metric tons per hectare in 2017.

“An increase in the production of soya from 1.2 metric tons per hectare in 2016 to 2.5 metric tons per hectare in 2017 and increase in the production of sorghum from 0.8 metric tons per hectare in 2016 to 1.8 metric tons per hectare in 2017,” he stated, adding that: “This year, the programme will be extended to embrace 500,000 farmers. Our target is one million farmers by the end of the four-year term. We’re going to change the face of agriculture in this country.”