The Bank of Ghana is calling for promotion of a resilient and thriving agricultural and agribusiness sector.
According to the Second Deputy Governor, Elsie Addo Awadzi, agriculture has broader implications on the economy, including price stability, exchange rate stability and generation export revenues from the sector.
Speaking at an Agriculture Stakeholder Convening and Advocacy Platform Launch, Mrs Addo Awadzi said says the inability to address food supply conditions could in the long run jeopardise the Central Bank’s mandate of price stability
Since May 2021, the inflation data have pointed to gradual increase in food prices, and this trend has intensified in recent months on the back of the recent Russian-Ukraine crises. Food inflation hit 30.1% in May 2022, significantly up from 5.4% in May 2021.
According to the Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, further insights in the data reveals faster acceleration of food inflation, relative to non-food inflation.
Therefore, the inability to address food supply conditions, she said, could in the long run jeopardises the Central Bank’s mandate of price stability.
“Recognizing the important role of this sector to the economy therefore, the Bank of Ghana was instrumental in the initiation, design, and establishment of the Ghana Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (GIRSAL) and continues to support the scheme in various ways”, she pointed out.
GIRSAL was designed to be a holistic and integrated system of instruments designed to de-risk the agricultural sector and incentivize banks to lend to the sector to drive agribusiness development, and reduce capital constraints that limit competitiveness.
At the onset, BoG provided ¢200 million seed capital and ¢10 million for the set-up and operational expenses to GIRSAL. However, in June 2018, BoG transferred its equity interest in GIRSAL Limited to the government (Ministry of Finance), but continued to support the initiative in a number of ways.
These include the approval of a zero-risk weighting of credit exposures covered by GIRSAL’s Credit Guarantee Scheme, which demonstrates the confidence the central bank assigns to GIRSAL’s CRG scheme, and thus, improving its credibility and attractiveness to financial institutions.
“Indeed, BoG is an invaluable partner to GIRSAL and looks forward to support its activities, including todays’ launch of an Agribusiness Public-Private Partnership Platform”, she further explained.
“Indeed, BoG is an invaluable partner to GIRSAL and looks forward to support its activities, including todays’ launch of an Agribusiness Public-Private Partnership Platform. This newly created AG Platform should provide stakeholders the avenue to identify key bottlenecks in the agriculture and agribusiness value chain, stimulate discussions, and identify possible solutions to unlock the true potential of this industry”, she added.
Latest Stories
-
Let’s live peacefully and shame our saboteurs – Savannah executives of NPP, NDC
22 mins -
Reconstruction of Agona-Nkwanta-Tarkwa road 80 per cent complete
29 mins -
Internet penetration: 10.7 million Ghanaians offline – LONDA Report
38 mins -
USC cancels grad ceremony as campus protests against Israel’s war in Gaza continue
42 mins -
Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction overturned in New York
49 mins -
US Supreme Court divided on whether Trump can be prosecuted
52 mins -
There’s enough justification for Affirmative Action Bill to be passed – Minka-Premo
54 mins -
Don’t allow people to manipulate you into vaccine hesitancy – Dr Adipa-Adappoe
1 hour -
Suspend implementation of Planting for Food and Jobs 2.0 for 2024 – Stakeholders
1 hour -
Parkinson’s disease no longer confined to the elderly – Public Health Physician, Dr Momodou Cham warns
1 hour -
Persons living with Parkinson’s disease appeal for support as they face stigmatization
1 hour -
36-year-old-trader sentenced for stealing employer’s money
1 hour -
9 signs you’re falling in love with someone who thoroughly enjoys emotional manipulation
2 hours -
Catholic Diocese of Keta Akatsi hosts Parkinson’s support group meeting
2 hours -
Wa Naa appeals to Akufo-Addo to audit state lands in Wa
2 hours