The General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) is casting doubts over the 2023 Budget turning the fortunes of the sector around.

Prices of foodstuff have shot up significantly this year, with some items going up by more than 50%.

Though the growth rate of the sector has been appreciable, the high food prices, which is partly due to high fuel prices, has been a major concern.

General Secretary of GAWU, Edward Kareweh, told Joy Business the sector may not see considerable funding for next year because of the expected austere budget.

 “I’m not too optimistic that the challenges within the agriculture sector will be addressed in the coming budget. I’m saying so because the budget is going to be an austere budget, whether government has concluded the negotiation with the IMF or not.”

“I expect the budget to reflect some conditionalities that the IMF will be expecting the Ghana government to carry on before they reach a deal”.

To this end, Mr. Kareweh does not expect investments in agriculture in 2023.

“I’m not seeing how there will be adequate budgetary allocation to agriculture in the 2023 Budget, increase investments and so on.