AGRICULTURE

SISSALA E: Women farmers appeal for subsidized inputs
Women farmers in Sissala East Municipality have called on the government to make available subsidized inputs ahead of this year's farming season.

Date Created : 3/5/2019 12:00:00 AM : Story Author : Mohammed Balu

The call was made during Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and Radio for Development citizens engagement with duty-bearers at Banu in the Sissala East Municipality.

The governance programme was held in collaboration with the Sissala East Municipal Assembly during which the women leader (Mangazia) of Banu community, 52-year-old farmer, Madama Safura Adamu, demanded their share of the planting for food inputs.

She called on the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Karim Nanyua, to ensure that women farmers in the farming zone were allocated their share of government's subsidized inputs at the right time such that they can be well prepared for the farming season.

Pio Alhaji Sumaila Yakubu, the Paramount Chief of Banu, said there were numerous challenges affecting the people in the communities.

He said some of the challenges to include: lack of potable water, broken down boreholes, loss of lives due to snake bites and the apparent unavailability of anti-snake venom as well as bad road networks and inadequate health officials to man their health facilities (CHPs
Compounds).

Pio Sumaila expressed concern about the general underdevelopment of the traditional area where he said roads from Pina, Kunchorkor, Kwapun to Wuru and Tanla were not only not motorable but also unconnected to the national electricity grid.

He said traditional rulers have sanctioned the ban and sale of alcoholic beverages in the area after it was established that able-bodied young persons were becoming waste to themselves and the community.

Mr Nanyua, the Sissala East MCE, said five out of the 20 boreholes earmarked for communities in the traditional area to reduce the challenge of potable drinking water are being developed.

He also promised to ensure fair distribution of the planting for food and jobs subsidized inputs adding that though not much has been achieved in terms of road infrastructure since 2017, road construction remains a top priority of the government. 

The MCE called on the people to take advantage of vast government policies and initiatives like free senior high school, planting for food and jobs; and planting for export amongst others to better their lot.