Data collection vital for resource allocation –  Dr. Akoto   

Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister for Food and Agriculture, has underlined the need to have accurate data for effective planning and resource allocation to the sector.

Additionally, this could also significantly aid the rebasing of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

It was against this background that all needed to work together to make the upcoming agriculture census a huge success.

He was addressing the closing session of a nine-day training workshop held in Kumasi for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Agriculture Directors of Agriculture drawn from across the Ashanti Region.

It was meant to build their capacity to train field officers for the data collection exercise.

The census starts on April 16, this year, and it is being jointly undertaken by the Food and Agriculture Ministry and the Ghana Statistical Service with financial support from the Food and Agriculture Organization.

It would involve the collection of information from households and institutions and the last time this was done was in 1985. 

The nationwide exercise is expected to cost about GH?54 million.

Dr. Akoto called for everybody to show keen interest and to accept to play their expected roles well to deliver a credible data to help accelerate national development      

The expectation was that the media would lead the awareness creation campaign to whip up public enthusiasm.

The people should become adequately informed so that they fully cooperated with the field officers – provide all the required information.

He added that, chiefs, religious leaders and other opinion leaders in the various communities also had critical part to play by way of publicity.

The data collected would guide policy making and assist to address environmental issues at the community level.

Source: GNA