Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, the Director of Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness, has emphasized the significant distinctions between the “Feed Ghana” program and the previous administration’s “Planting for Food and Jobs” initiative, asserting that the two are fundamentally different.
In a interview on Monday, April 14, he pointed out that under the former Akufo-Addo administration, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture exceeded its budget for 2024, spending over 7 billion cedis without producing meaningful outcomes.
Dr. Otokunor noted that the “Planting for Food and Jobs” initiative suffered from a lack of transparency, with resources often misappropriated, which ultimately led to its failure.
He affirmed that the Mahama administration’s “Feed Ghana” initiative will prioritize policy efficiency through targeted approaches and differentiation, ensuring that resources are utilized effectively to achieve desired results.
“It is entirely different because, when you examine the ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ initiative, which they claimed would produce food and jobs, it became evident that neither materialized. They relied on an input support system that lacked transparency.
“There was no clear access to inputs, which were often seized by opportunists, and issues of selection, known as adverse selection, contributed to the complete failure of the policy. We essentially wasted funds.
“Our approach will focus on policy efficiency through targeted and differentiated strategies. For instance, if a farmer has four acres of land, we will not provide inputs for ten acres, as this could lead to diversion.
“The Feed Ghana Program will be more focused, specialized, and diversified, and we are confident it will deliver the results we all anticipate,” he stated.
