Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, has noted that government programmes such as the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative and soft loan schemes are designed to support young farmers and encourage more young people to participate in the agricultural value chain.
According to him, the government is implementing policies that will make agriculture more attractive to the youth while strengthening the sector’s long-term sustainability.
Dumelo made the remarks while speaking to Citi News on the sidelines of the special launch of the 70th anniversary celebration of Akuafo Hall at the University of Ghana.
He noted that the anniversary celebration also provides an opportunity to acknowledge the immense contributions farmers have made to the country’s development, particularly young farmers who are gradually entering the sector.
The Deputy Minister highlighted concerns about the ageing agricultural workforce in the country, explaining that most farmers are currently over the age of 50, making it crucial to attract younger people into the industry.
“It is important to recognize the efforts of young farmers. If you look at the agric workforce, most of them are aged above 50 and we in government are trying to encourage more young ones to get into agric. So we are trying as much as possible to introduce certain policies that will attract the young ones to get into agriculture,” he said.
He added that government is also promoting all-year-round farming and will support young farmers with irrigation tools and other essential inputs.
“We are also encouraging everyone to do all year round farming. If you come to us, we will definitely give you some water pumps that we have taken away from the galamseyers, that is for those who want to do irrigation, and then some seedlings as well,” he added.
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