France grants Ghana ?1.4mil for rice production

France is to provide Ghana with a grant of Euro1.4 million (?11.5 billion) to support the development of strategic policies to promote the production of rice. Part of the grant will be used to analyse the constraints facing the development of farmer-based organisations (FBOs) and support such FBOs, especially rice producers? organisation by training their leaders in management skills as well as improve their understanding of food crop sectors and negotiation capacities.

Officials of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture will also receive training while stakeholder workshops will be held to create an inter-professional dialogue.

The Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr Gheysika A. Agambila, initialled for Ghana, while the French Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Jean-Michel Berrit, signed on behalf of France at a brief ceremony in Accra yesterday.

The development of the Ghanaian agricultural sector in the country has, in the past, been oriented towards cash crops while the food crop sector received little support.

The government is now putting the emphasis on the development of food crops with rice as a main priority in order to reduce its rice import by 30 per cent.

In a remark, Mr Berrit said the project will also complement the French Development Agency project under the Low Land Rice Project in the Northern Region.

He expressed the hope that the project, which is the first between the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government of Ghana, will lead to an improved co-operation in the agricultural sector.

Mr Berrit said two French technical advisers will be posted to Accra and Tamale to provide services to MOFA to ensure the successful implementation of the project. The project, he said, will complement two programmes, which are the French Development Agency project in the Northern Region known as the Low Land Rice Project and another project of the World Bank.

Dr Agambila acknowledged the increased aid provided by France over the years to Ghana in energy, roads and education sectors.

?It is my expectation that our co-operation will continue to deepen and broaden over the years for our mutual benefit,? he added.