Protect Livelihoods of farmers- GTLC charges Government
Gilbert Boyefio
30/08/2006
In order to protect the livelihoods of local rice farmers, the Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition has charged Government not to hand over the Aveyime rice project to foreign investors as it will further deepen the woes of local rice cultivators.
Speaking at the launching of the coalition and trade campaign, the interim National Co-ordinator of GTLC, Ibrahim Akalbila, stated that if foreign investors are allowed to import paddy rice for cultivation on the farm, the purpose of the Aveyime project, which was to promote the cultivation of local rice for consumption and export will be lost, and the livelihood of many Ghanaian farmers will be at stake.
Touching on the effects of trade liberalisation on the livelihoods of Ghanaian farmers, he said studies show that trade policies have tended to concentrate losses among the poorer countries and profits among the richer ones.
He said about 40 percent of the Ghanaian population, mainly women, are food crop farmers and are among the poorest people in the country due to unfavourable trade policies.
He said the risks to livelihoods and income security increase considerably when trade barriers are lowered in developing countries and subsidies are provided to farmers and businesses in industrialised countries.
He said this enables the farmers of developed countries to produce and sell at a cheaper price in developing countries like Ghana, whilst the Ghanaian farmer is unjustly branded inefficient. "This also results in situations where locally produced goods such as foodstuffs, mainly produced by women, go unsold on the market because they cannot compete with cheaper imported agricultural products," he added.
Mr Akalbila said GTLC is an advocacy organisation working for better support policies and practices for the agriculture sector, with special emphasis on the rice, tomato, and poultry sub-sectors. He disclosed that the coalition has made certain observations and proposals to Government and Parliament for consideration and for actions to be taken on them.
These include reviewing the implementation of the existing policy framework for the sector, and adding value to local rice through the use of modern technology.
The coalition called on Government to increase extension services and the production of simpler extension service manuals supplied to farmers as a way of improving productivity.
They appealed to Government to consider the re-introduction of tariffs and non tariff measures to protect local rice producers in view of the "dumping" currently going on in Ghana.
The coalition further appealed for an additional 10 percent tariff to be imposed on imported rice for a period of 5- 10 years to generate proceeds that should be invested into the development of the rice sector.
30/08/2006
In order to protect the livelihoods of local rice farmers, the Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition has charged Government not to hand over the Aveyime rice project to foreign investors as it will further deepen the woes of local rice cultivators.
Speaking at the launching of the coalition and trade campaign, the interim National Co-ordinator of GTLC, Ibrahim Akalbila, stated that if foreign investors are allowed to import paddy rice for cultivation on the farm, the purpose of the Aveyime project, which was to promote the cultivation of local rice for consumption and export will be lost, and the livelihood of many Ghanaian farmers will be at stake.
Touching on the effects of trade liberalisation on the livelihoods of Ghanaian farmers, he said studies show that trade policies have tended to concentrate losses among the poorer countries and profits among the richer ones.
He said about 40 percent of the Ghanaian population, mainly women, are food crop farmers and are among the poorest people in the country due to unfavourable trade policies.
He said the risks to livelihoods and income security increase considerably when trade barriers are lowered in developing countries and subsidies are provided to farmers and businesses in industrialised countries.
He said this enables the farmers of developed countries to produce and sell at a cheaper price in developing countries like Ghana, whilst the Ghanaian farmer is unjustly branded inefficient. "This also results in situations where locally produced goods such as foodstuffs, mainly produced by women, go unsold on the market because they cannot compete with cheaper imported agricultural products," he added.
Mr Akalbila said GTLC is an advocacy organisation working for better support policies and practices for the agriculture sector, with special emphasis on the rice, tomato, and poultry sub-sectors. He disclosed that the coalition has made certain observations and proposals to Government and Parliament for consideration and for actions to be taken on them.
These include reviewing the implementation of the existing policy framework for the sector, and adding value to local rice through the use of modern technology.
The coalition called on Government to increase extension services and the production of simpler extension service manuals supplied to farmers as a way of improving productivity.
They appealed to Government to consider the re-introduction of tariffs and non tariff measures to protect local rice producers in view of the "dumping" currently going on in Ghana.
The coalition further appealed for an additional 10 percent tariff to be imposed on imported rice for a period of 5- 10 years to generate proceeds that should be invested into the development of the rice sector.
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