The report that the agriculture sector received GH¢24.1 million as its share of the country’s oil revenue in the first half of this year and the appeal to Ghanaians to tap into the global snail value chain business worth US$2 billion are some of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Graphic reports that the agriculture sector received GH¢24.1 million as its share of the country’s oil revenue in the first half of this year, the Semi-Annual Report, 2022, authored by the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), has indicated.
As one of the four priority areas selected for spending of oil revenues, the money received by the sector represented 4.57 per cent of the utilised Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA).
The Petroleum Revenue Management Act (PRMA), Act 815, provides for revenue from oil to be invested in four areas under the ABFA.
The amount, which represents 66.73 per cent of the projected utilisation for the entire year is an improvement over the same period last year.
This compares with the period under review when it received GH¢2.9 million representing 0.31 per cent of the actual ABFA distributed for the period.
The report launched on September 27 said an amount of GH¢23. 35 million, representing 97 per cent of the disbursement to this priority area, was used to support one of the government’s top flagship programmes, Planting for Food and Jobs, as well as phase II of the construction of irrigation infrastructure in Tamne in the northern part of the country for agricultural production.
“The rest of the disbursement was used for the construction of a laboratory block at the Anomabo Fisheries College. The expenditure under this priority area for the first half of 2022 represents a 722.73 per cent increase over the expenditure under the same priority area for the same period in 2021,” it said.
The newspaper says that Ghanaians have been urged to tap into the global snail value chain business worth US$2 billion.
Consequently, they have been urged to adopt environmentally friendly practices when farming in order not to harm the habitats of the snails.
The Special Advisor at the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Oliver Boakye, made the call when he delivered a speech on behalf of the sector minister at the maiden edition of the snail festival organised by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (CSIR-FORIG).
It was on the theme: “Farm Snails, Eat Snails, and Market Snails.”
The event was to help increase awareness of the health benefits of consuming snails as well as the economic opportunities available in farming them.
It brought together about 15 exhibitors to showcase dishes made with snail meat as well as other products made from snails.
Mr Boakye said the decline in snail population as a result of some irresponsible human activities posed major threat to biodiversity and environmental sustainability.
He said when care was not taken, the snails in the country’s wild might be extinct and people might lose their traditional delicacy.
“Adequate environmental protection is the bedrock of sustainable development. We have no option but to take a good look at the years of collecting snails.
Snail farming in the development and promotion of industries should take the centre stage. Ghana must make every effort to enter this business and earn a deal,” Mr Boakye said.
The Graphic also reports that the Deputy Dutch Ambassador to Ghana, Katja Lasseur, has expressed the commitment of the Netherlands to leverage its expertise to support Ghana to improve on its agriculture sector.
She explained that the Netherlands as the second largest exporter of agricultural products in the world, had the potential to share knowledge, technology and investment opportunities to support efficient use of land in the country.
Speaking at the opening of the 2022 Orange Cocoa Day (OCD) in Accra last Monday, the deputy ambassador said although the Netherlands was a small country in terms of land size, its total agriculture exports for last year reached €110 billion.
Ms Lasseur stated that investment in agriculture thrives only on a well-structured land tenure system.
“Land fragmentation and insecurity does not promote investment in the agriculture sector,” she said.
The Orange Cocoa Day was organised by the Netherlands Embassy in Accra, collaboration with European Union (EU) Delegation in Ghana, European Institute, Meridia and other firms active in the cocoa sector.
It was the theme, “exploring how improved access to land and tree tenure promote sustainability in the cocoa value chain,” and brought together stakeholders to discuss the sector-wide developments in cocoa and their readiness to support the sector in the country.
The OCD also served as a platform for exhibitors which consisted of Tropenbos Ghana, Niche Cocoa Industry Ltd, Financial Access, 57 Chocolate, Ghana CSOs Cocoa Platform (GCCP) and Solidaridad, to showcase a variety of goods and services to participants.
The EU Ambassador to Ghana, Irchad Razaaly, reiterated the commitment of the EU to support a sustainable cocoa production in the country.
He said the country’s efforts towards sustainability were fully aligned with the EU priorities to provide decent living income for cocoa farmers.
“It is also to ensure sustainability in the value chain. The European Commission in September 2020 launched an inclusive dialogue on sustainable cocoa production.
“This is what has been described as cocoa talks being executed between Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire,” he said.
The Ghanaian Times says that former President John Mahama has decried diversion of $100 million from petroleum funds for expenditure.
He indicated that Section 3 of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act (PRMA) (Act 815) was explicit that all petroleum revenue due the Republic derived from whatever source shall be assessed, collected and accounted for by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
According to him, “Section 15 of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act (Act 919), is also clear that any borrowing exceeding the cedi equivalent of $30m for the purpose of exploration, development and production must be approved by Parliament and must be in consonance with the Petroleum Revenue Management Act.
“There can be no justification for diverting revenues accruing from the nation’s share of petroleum resources into any other account aside the Petroleum Heritage Fund and the Minister of Finance must, as a matter of urgency, repatriate all such illegal payments back into the Petroleum Heritage Fund without delay,” former President Mahama intimated.
The Minority in Parliament who broke the news in a statement expressed worry over an alleged government’s inability to account for more than$100 million accruing from Ghana’s Petroleum lifting in the first quarter of 2022.
Signed and issued by John Abdulai Jinapor, the Ranking Member on the Energy and Mines Committee of Parliament, said the Minority Caucus was alarmed that contrary to requirements of the PRMA, revenues accruing from the nation’s oil fields were not being paid into the Petroleum Holding Fund.
Former President Mahama decried that there was no record to confirm parliamentary approval on any such loans acquired by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) in their work programme
He called on Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister of Finance, to, as a matter of urgency repatriate all such illegal payments back into the Petroleum Heritage Fund since it was untenable to allegedly divert more than $100m from the fund for unapproved expenditure.
GIK/APA