Ato Afful, the managing director of Graphic Communications Group Limited, has urged young people to become involved in agriculture since it is a lucrative industry with a variety of job prospects.
He said that agriculture gave much more than the impression of toil and suffering.
The industry's expansion, he said, was hampered by unfavorable impressions of the sector, which, in his opinion, had immense potential and offered excellent opportunities for achieving financial success and self-actualization.
"This profession genuinely gives you the chance to earn money and gives you a lot of freedom.
Farmers are independent because they are self-sufficient.
When you are unable to provide for yourself, you cannot act independently.
We used to export crops, but for some reason we have switched to importing them. As a result, he continued, we are straining ourselves and our economy by accumulating foreign currency to travel and purchase food only to eat.
When Ruth Adolwine Awintanga, Miss Agriculture Ghana, visited the media center yesterday to give her views on how both parties should collaborate to make agriculture more appealing, especially to women and young people, Mr. Afful made the comment.
Theresa Aniagyei-Bonsu, who organized the pageant; Oheneba Akosua Kyerewa, the project lead; and the chairwoman of the Chamber of Women in Agribusiness Ghana (CHAWA) were with Ms. Awintanga.
Franklin Sowa, the director of marketing, and Theophilus Yartey, the editor of graphics, were also present during the meeting.
The rate at which the nation imported agricultural goods, according to Mr. Afful, was regrettable.
"If you are bringing something in that will expand your development agenda and enable you to make more in terms of revenues, that is a worthwhile investment, but if you are bringing in something that you will eat and that's about it, then seriously, you are not helping anybody," he added.
He mentioned that his organization was also doing its share to draw attention to the agriculture industry.
"From our perspective as a company, this year, the main focus of our national development series is on agriculture, agro-processing, and food security. According to Mr. Afful, we are working hard to instill in the minds of the people the importance of relying on, providing for, and nourishing oneself.
Initiative
He also expressed his appreciation for the endeavour and told the Miss Agriculture team that they were "on the way to something significant and ground shifting."
In order to make the agricultural sector appealing, according to Mr. Sowa, capacity-building is essential. He also noted that it is past time for the sector to be viewed as a component of tourism and a way of life.
It's a worthwhile endeavour, but attracting young people to it requires purposeful effort, which is where we come in.
We are putting a lot of initiatives into that and working nonstop on it," he added.
Mr. Yartey said that the industry would be advantageous to many individuals with the correct advocacy.
He pledged to do his utmost to ensure that such efforts received the necessary attention in order to optimize the intended effects. He stated he would use his influence as the newspaper's editor.
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