AGRICULTURE

Mango farmers appeal for major intervention to save their trade
The Secretary to the Mango Farmers Association, Mr. Foster Akpoka said government would have to pay attention to mango production in the country to help sustain production so that the citizens will continue to benefit from it and help the farmers remain in business.

Date Created : 5/3/2023 12:00:00 AM : Story Author : Ghanadistricts.com/ Afua Yeboah

Mr Akpoka mentioned that the challenges in the sector are many; however, some need urgent attention to save the industry.

They include;

· Difficulty in accessing credit,

· high cost of disease and pest control,

· high cost of inputs, poor marketing, and

· lack of storage facilities.

Others include irrigation, bush fire, theft, and change in climatic conditions.

In an interview with Ghanadistricts Tv, Mr. Akpoka revealed that about forty (40) farmers were randomly selected from five (5) communities in the district for the study, and advised that based on the findings, policy makers should focus on promoting efficient use of existing technology and resources to improve the production of the fruit crop in the area.


He said currently, farmers grow as many as eleven (11) varieties of mangoes; some with very high local and international demands and the focus should be on those ones.

Mango has been the major cash crop grown by farmers at New Somanya in the Yilo Krobo Municipality of which the productivity of the crop has been persistently low despite various private and public sector interventions.

Because mango is susceptible to the risk of climate change, there is the need for the adoption of innovative measures among mango farmers to boost yield and stay afloat.

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