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AGRICULTURE

ATWIMA M: Agric Office engages farmers on planning session

Stakeholders in the agriculture sector in the Atwima Mponua District met at the 2019 Agric Planning Session to draw up work plan and also to improve the Agric extension delivery with the district.

Date Created : 8/20/2019 7:23:04 AM : Story Author : Jephthah Kwame Sarfo/Ghanadistricts.com

The Chief Executive of the area appreciated the work of farmers, and was of the view that, their activities are amongst the most important in the nation. He mentioned that, the government has increased the number of extension officers and equipped them with the best training, hence the smooth implementation planting for food and jobs (PFJ) and also the provision of motor bikes for the extension officers to augment them in effective supervision.

“In collaboration with other stakeholders, this programme will enable us to share our problems, know our good deeds, and the measures to put in place to improve our farming activates in the district”, he stated.

The District Agric Director, Mr. Eric Fofie made his presentation on problems the farmers encountered last year and how they dealt with them this year. He mentioned that Cocoa swollen shoots, millipedes attacking pepper, garden eggs, the untimely control of Fall Army Worms, lack of planting and transplanting machines, and poor unmotorable roads.

Others include lack of storage facilities for perishable commodities, high cost of hiring lands for agriculture use, high pest infestation on okro and garden eggs and unavailability of credit facilities. “Some of these, are the challenges the government was able to provide the necessary chemicals to control but not completely solve them and due to the hard work of the extension officers farmers, farmers received education on new farming methods that will increase their yield;” he stated.

The District CHED Officer of COCOBOD, Mr. Seth Bonsu gave startling statistics of his outfit performance in the cocoa business. He stated that, COCOBOD Ghana has instituted the Productivity Enhancement programmes like, raising hybrid seedlings, pruning, pollination, mass spraying with the insecticides and fungicides.

He gave the number of fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides distributed to farmers as follows; Garil 660 cartons, fungicide 150 boxes, Agro- comment 251, Matalum 580 which was distributed to all 81 mass spraying gangs. Others are Sidalco 280 cartons, AF Confidence 180 cartons, Transform Akate 700 cartons, Attacke insecticide 235 boxes, Fungu kill 580 boxes. He further posited that, “There are 377 pollinators working on 1680 targeted farms with 827 farms pollinated this year”.

The farmers extended their appreciation to the government for the many interventions they have received from the government and by extension, the department of Agric and Ghana Cocobod. They attested that, they have increased their yield this year and expect to gain more from their activities. In addition, they have received training from the WIAD unit of the district Agric office in the area of pastries, soap making and other detergents which also boost up their financial status.

Honorable William Darko showed appreciation to the Agric directorate for their hard work which was the talk of Honorable Deputy Local Government Minister Collins Ntim when he visited the district. “Mr. Fofie I thank you for the honour done me by the sterling performance and presentation you gave when the deputy Minister visited the district a fortnight ago”, he mentioned.