Ghana newspaper calls for learning from China

ACCRA - A popular daily newspaper in Ghana has welcomed the readiness of China to share its agricultural and technological expertise with Ghana as part of its bilateral commitment to the West African country.

In an editorial published on Thursday, the state-owned Ghanaian Times said Ghanaians welcome the hand of friendship that has been extended to the country by the Chinese government over the years.

It expressed the hope that "The nation would tap that rich experience in the agricultural sector to promote growth and development in the country."

In the comment titled "Learning from China's Experience", with reference to agricultural development particularly food production, the daily undisputed the bare fact that Ghana has the potential of becoming a major food producer to ensuring food security on the continent and beyond.

However, it wrote "It is regrettable that 54 years after independence, the nation's agricultural sector has not seen much improvement, even though it constitutes the bed rock of the economy."

"The huge resources spent on overseas training, workshops and various research studies over the years have not yielded many results," it continued.

The paper attributed the cause to the failure of exposing the country's farmers to available new technologies, resulting in their using the age-old rudimentary tools to till the virgin land.

Turning back to China, the paper said, the Asian country for many years has advanced in mechanized agriculture and scientific technology.

Almost every available land in that country is self-sufficient in food production, the editorial stressed.

In a sharp contrast, it stated further, the situation differs from Ghana which has vast uncultivated arable lands which could be put to good use with the help of the Chinese government.