Peasant Farmers Association urges gov’t to commit more resources to agriculture in future budgets
Isaac Pabia, said that although the government has demonstrated commitment through various allocations in the 2026 budget, the overall percentage still falls far below Ghana’s continental obligations.
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) is calling on the government to increase the share of national resources allocated to the agricultural sector, describing current investments as insufficient to drive the level of growth the country aspires to achieve.
Speaking on the Big Mike Breakfast Show on Wednesday, November 19, the National Secretary and Upper East Regional Focal Person for PFAG, Isaac Pabia, said that although the government has demonstrated commitment through various allocations in the 2026 budget, the overall percentage still falls far below Ghana’s continental obligations.
According to him, Ghana remains significantly behind the target set under the Kampala Declaration, which requires African countries to commit at least 10% of their GDP to agriculture.
“The Kampala Declaration, which Ghana is a signatory to, demands that all African countries dedicate 10% of GDP to the agriculture sector.” Pabia noted.
“Across Africa, most economies are agric-based. If you want to grow as an economy, you must dedicate resources to the sectors that contribute significantly to your GDP. But over the years, we have fallen short. For instance, in the 2025 budget we did less than 2% of government’s total expenditure, and although there has been a slight improvement this year, we are still not up to 3%.”
He commended the government for prioritising irrigation in the 2026 budget but expressed disappointment over the omission of the long-awaited Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam.
“Investing in irrigation was something we expected, and indeed the budget captured it. The allocation of GH¢1.5 billion for irrigation infrastructure is a good start, but it did not meet all our expectations,” he stated.
“Our biggest disappointment is the absence of the Pwalugu Dam. Those of us in the North were expecting it to be considered to support dry-season farming and improve livelihoods, but it was not captured.”
Pabia said the budget provides a measure of hope for farmers, but emphasised that meaningful progress can only be achieved if allocations are released on time and the outlined programmes fully implemented.
“The budget offers hope, but government must ensure that the allocations made are actually released and implemented.” He added.
PFAG maintains that scaling up investment in agriculture is critical to enhancing food security, reducing poverty, and accelerating Ghana’s economic transformation.
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