Agric workers insist the sector is collapsing

Workers in the agricultural sector say they totally disagree with the Deputy Agricultural Minister, Dr. Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan, over his claims that the sector is not collapsing.

According to the latest GDP estimates by the Ghana Statistical Service, some sub-sectors in the agric sector did not record any production at all.

But reacting to the sector's poor showing and its dwindling fortunes, Dr. Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan says arguments that agric is contributing less to the economy cannot be accurate.

“It is possible for the agricultural sector to be growing but contributing less to the GDP,” he said.

He however explained that there are occasions where the country would record growth in the production of some cash crops, but their market price can go down and their impact would not accurately reflect in the GDP.

But the General Agricultural Workers Union which represent workers in the sector is worried the minister's stance could affect policies for improving the sector's fortunes.

Edward Karewah, Deputy General Secretary of the Union, told Joy News, “If the minister says that figures available to him suggest otherwise, well we will like to know those figures.”

He believes the Ghana Statistical Service factored the explanation offered by the minister before arriving at the conclusion that “the agricultural sector is not performing well”.

He suggested, “we all need to face the problem as it is, so that we can equally look for the solution for it”.