The ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ (PFJ) programme, the government’s flagship programme to improve the Agric sector and in turn attain self-sufficiency, has benefitted over 5,000 farmers in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District as said by Mr. George Ofori, the District Chief Executive.
Speaking on the theme: ‘Agribusiness Development Under COVID-19- Opportunities and Challenges’, Mr. George Ofori, the Kwahu Afram Plains South District Chief Executive, said during the 36th Farmers’ Day Celebration held in the district that, the ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ (PFJ) programme accounted for the resilient nature of Ghanaian agriculture which ensured no shortage of food supplies during the coronavirus pandemic era.
“We recognised that the toil and sweat of farmers ensured that the country’s food security is firmly intact and has helped to avert hunger as some people feared, thanks to the government’s intervention programmes to improve agriculture in the country,” he stressed.
According to Mr. Ofori, a total of 59,887 NPK, 90,150 kilograms of hybrid maize seeds, and 30,118 bags of urea for cropping were distributed to farmers. He intimated the Agriculture Department of his outfit had also supplied to farmers 150,000 cashew seedling under the ‘Planting for Employment and Rural Development’ (PERD) programme. He added that 25 acres of mango plantation sited at Odumasua and 25 acres of cashew plantations were established at Semanhyia and Hwanyanso as part of climate change mitigation measures.
In curbing the problems Fulani herdsmen encounter with crop farmers in the district, he said a ranch has been provided at Wawase to enable cattle farmers house their animals in order to improve animal farming practices in the area. He counselled the cattle farmers to send their animals to the ranch to minimize the unnecessary tension between crop and cattle farmers; especially during the drying season, adding that the assembly’s by-law on livestock which was fully operational would deal with anyone who would fail to comply.
Mr Ofori lauded Ghanaian farmers and fisherfolk for their commendable service to put food on the table of the citizenry at the height of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.He intimated that the government has supplied farming equipment such as tractors, ploughing machines, irrigation equipment among others to the district assembly to be rented out to farmer at a lower cost to ease pressure on farmers who cultivate on a large scale. The government would continue to put farmers at the centre of national development to be able to energise the people to work for the progress of the country, he emphasized.
He, therefore, encouraged businessmen and investors to partner with the district assembly to invest in agricultural production, processing and marketing in order to help create employment for economic development and also appealed to rural banks to make it easy for hardworking farmers to access credit for agribusiness. Mr Moses Bamfo, the District Agriculture Director also entreated the farmers to work closely with the Department to enable them to practise modern techniques in farming.
Nana Adu Paaku II, the Pitiku Krontihene lauded the government for supporting the people of Afram Plains in terms of development and improving the living standards of the citizenry through it’s flagship programmes and interventions such as the PFJ, the PERD, ‘One District, One Factory’. He urged the people to embrace these programmes to help create employment in the district and the country as a whole.
