GAWU urges Food and Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture ministers-designate to prioritise stakeholder consultation if approved

The General Agricultural Workers Union, GAWU has pledged its support to collaborate with the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, and the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Emelia Arthur to deliver decent working opportunities for people in both the formal and informal sectors.

GAWU believes that as part of the government’s resetting agenda, the Agric sector must be revived so it can alleviate a lot of Ghanaians from poverty.

A press statement issued by the Union and signed by its General Secretary, Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe affirmed GAWU’s support for the incoming minister, urging him to work to improve the sector to engender economic growth and sustainability.

As a result, GAWU has tabled nine concerns for redress by the Minister upon assumption of office.

The Union has urged the two ministers to thoroughly engage stakeholders on policy formulation, especially in the area of agriculture and fishing to seek their input.

The statement said, “we expect the ministers to use and operate an open-door approach of management by involving relevant stakeholders especially, the Union, in aquaculture and fishing police formulation and implementation.”

On Agriculture contribution to gross domestic product (GDP), GAWU expects policy intervention that will propel the sector to overshadow the services and industry sector which is now the leading contributor to Ghana’s GDP with 24.5 percent rate.

GAWU called for for programmes that will revive and sustain the interest of the youth in agriculture. The statement further persuaded the Minister for Food and Agriculture to focus on tree crops, with emphasis on oil palm cultivation, which is mainly considered cash crops.

GAWU further underscored the importance of extension services in agriculture and urged the deployment of more extension officers to support farmers to improve yields. On fisheries and aquaculture development, GAWU called for sustainable fishing practices and requested the sector ministry to allow constant supply of premix fuel to fishermen engaging in both in-land and marine fishing.