Organised Labour has urged government to focus on providing incentives in the 2025 budget to boost agriculture.

They spoke with our labour affairs correspondent, Daniel Opoku, ahead of the presentation of the 2025 Budget to Parliament by Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson on March 11 in Accra.

Ahead of the budget, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Deputy Secretary General of TUC, Dr Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, stressed the need to prioritise agriculture.

“We need to rescue our farmers and we need to support them to produce the food that we need in this country not just the food, but also the raw materials we need for industry,” he said.

He added that it is critical for the 2025 budget to indicate how resources will be mobilized domestically.

“Crucially also, this budget will not be one of the usual budgets where every development project we announce in the budget is based on loans, we have taken or loans we are about to take. So, this budget must set a framework for domestic resource mobilization. We cannot hand over our natural resources to foreigners they take the gold and repatriate the profit and everything and then we go over there to borrow money to do our infrastructure project, this must stop,” Dr Otoo stated.

The General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Musah Tanko, also asked the Finance Minister to ensure that the incentives are made available for farmers to attract the youth.

“It is in our own interest to ensure that the economy in the villages should be growing small-small. Let us allow resources to go there, our mother’s those who can work, if they are working and they are getting 100 Ghana cedis, 200 Ghana cedis, 300 Ghana cedis. I can tell you on authority that those who do ‘kayayei’ will love to go back,” Mr Tanko said.

He suggested that the 2025 budget should indicate a dedicated funding source for the Free Senior High School (SHS) and the 20 percent Deprived Area Allowance.

 

“What I want to hear is the arrangement to ensure that teachers are well resourced. We hope the issue about 20 percent and the conditions of service as enshrined in the manifesto will see the light of day,” he said.
Source: 3News