The Agric Ministry says it is working towards wiping out the importation of onions into the country.
This follows a report by Citi Business News which highlighted the dwindling state of Ghana’s onion industry due to high imports from neighboring countries.
According to the report, the industry was a bustling one ten years ago.
But today, Ghana is forced to import onions from a number of African countries to feed homes and eateries across the countries.
Speaking to Citi Business News on the matter, Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, George Boahen Oduro expressed optimism that the use of improved seedlings under government planting for food and jobs programme will increase the yield of farmers and make them dominate the supply of onions in the market.
“Our farmers here in Ghana, don’t use improved seeds and that is why under the planting for foods and jobs we are introducing improved seeds so that the yields will go up”.
“These are the bottle necks we have realized and are working on, so I’m sure by the next year or two, things will change if we are able to match up the yields which we get to that of other countries, then the issue of importation will stop, we have just introduced improved seeds and we will continue with it next year.”
He added that farmers in the country have already begun to reap higher yields following the use of improved seedlings.
“Now it is becoming clear farmers who are harvesting in the southern part of the country have higher yields. I visited a place and a rice farmer who previously got 150 bags, this year he got 310, so clearly the use of improved seeds is working”.
Mr Oduro further stated that the issue of inadequate supply of onions by farmers locally will be a thing of the past.
“It’s a demand and supply issue if you do one acher and you get 2 bags and now if you do one ache and you get 10 obviously the price will come down but you will get more money so farmers can match the price of imported ones”
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By: Anita Arthur/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
