Minister of Food and Agriculture Ernest Debrah of Ghana
Ernest Debrah is the Ghanaian Agricultural Minister.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Ernest Debrah says there is enough food to feed the people until the next harvest season.
Debrah said since 2001 to 2007 the Agricultural Sector has developed steadily.
Debrah was speaking at the launch of the Produce Buying Company (PBC) Limited Sheanut purchasing for the 2008/09 main crop season in Tamale on Thursday.
Ernest Akobuor Debrah has disclosed that his Ministry is currently distributing water pumps, pvs pipes, seed, fertilizers and pesticides to several groups of farmers in the three Northern Regions in the country to support food production before the rainy season.
Mr Debrah said this at the Ninth Annual General Meeting and Scientific Workshop of the Ghana Institute of Horticulturists on the theme: "Achieving Middle Income Status in Ghana; The Role of the Horticultural Industry in the Millennium Challenge Account.
Mr Debrah said the ministry was aware of the growing cases of rabies contracted from domestic pets in Accra and its environs and was taking serious steps to bring the situation under control.
Replying, Mr Debrah said there had been five reported outbreaks this year of anthrax disease, two each in the Upper East and Northern regions and one in Accra, which was traced to an animal bought from the North.
Ernest Debrah says this years farmers Day when hardworking farmers of Ghana would be honour will be held on 7th November.
Mr Debrah said there had been an increase in the case of rabies in humans in some parts of the country resulting in fatalities.
Mr Debrah said pet owners’ apathy to vaccination of the animals, even for free, and the incidence of stray dogs had inhibited efforts at checking the spread of rabies.
To address the problem, Mr Debrah said the ministry was liaising with metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to enforce the bye laws on pets, adding that its officials would also conduct house-to-house inspections and confiscate pets not vaccinated by their owners.
On whether the Ministry would consider revisiting cyclical vaccination, Mr Debrah said there was the need to look at the cost implication before a decision was made, adding that the vaccination of a pet at GH¢2 per year was affordable enough to encourage pet owners to patronise it.
Mr Debrah said that vaccine against Antrax was produced locally at the Central Veterinary Laboratory at Pong-Tamale in the Northern Region and was available in the country all year round.
Debrah said this when he took his turn at the Conference Hall of the Information Services Department (ISD) in Accra and urged Ghanaians not to panic over the hike in food prices on the international market, as there is enough to meet local demand.
Mr Debrah said government voted GH¢7.
Mr Debrah said his Ministry intends to turn about 1,000 hectares of arable land in the Fumbisi Valley into rice farms as part of plans to increase production and cut down drastically on rice imports.
On his part, Hon Debrah was optimistic that Ghana's participation in the Royal Show would help promote joint-ventureship between Ghanaian businesses and their British counterparts for the development of the Agric sector in Ghana.
Net that Debrah said only that he did not "feel comfortable with GM maize" and this was in reply to the question "would you allow GM maize to enter Ghana?"He added that the use of modern agricultural biotechnology should be promoted in Ghana to increase food production.
Debrah is the minister in charge of this sector.
Ghanaian Minister of Food and Agriculture Ernest Debrah has reiterated that the birdflu was not in Ghana and there was, therefore, no need for the public to panic, Ghana News Agency reported on Wednesday.
Mr Debrah said the Ministry is currently implementing a 48-billion rural poultry project to boost the sector and explained that under the project, poultry farmers were being supported with housing facilities for their birds.
Debrah said given agriculture’s contribution to our national economies, such pest invasions must give cause for great concern to all.
Ernest Debrah said the country would reject, without hesitation, the importation of any Genetically Modified (GM) foods, crops and materials into the country although it might solve the famine problems being experienced, especially in the Northern part.
Debrah said this last Friday in Accra.
Ernest Debrah was quoted in the media saying that the government had resolved to oppose GM food.
According to the 28 July issue of the Ghanaian Chronicle online, Debrah said in Accra on 23 July that "the country would reject, without hesitation, the importation of any genetically modified (GM) food, crops and materials it might solve the famine problems being experienced, especially in the Northern part.
He added that the use of modern agricultural biotechnology should be promoted in Ghana to increase food production.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Ernest Debrah says Government is adopting an integrated approach to raise the cultivation of horticultural products for the booming international market.
Mr Debrah said under the Horticulture Exports Industry Initiative (HEII), which is one of the new initiatives of the Agriculture Services Sub sector Investment Project (AgSSIP), shed nine at the Tema port was being refurbished into an ultra modern fruit terminal complete with cold storage facilities.
Mr Debrah said over 3 million MD2 pineapple planting materials worth over a million dollars had been distributed to over 70 small-scale farmer groups to go into rapid pineapple sucker multiplication to help exporters shift to the preferred MD2 variant.