Agriculture

Agriculture is the major economic activity in Agona East District and engages more than50.6%ofthe District’s population. The high soil fertility supports cultivation of tree and cash crops, food crops, vegetables and sugarcane.

Tree crops such as cocoa, citrus, oil palm and cola are cultivated. Food crops like maize, cassava, cocoyam, vegetables are also cultivated, and the District supplies Swedru, Akroso, Kasoa, Bawjiase and Accra markets. Crop yields are however low, the major contributing factors being outmoded agricultural practices, declining soil fertility, small farm holdings, use of very simple technology and dependence on the weather.

This notwithstanding, the district still has enormous potential to increase overall output because agricultural practice is still not intensive enough and about 40% of arable land still remains uncultivated

Agricultural Technology in the District is mainly traditional and subsistence, employing farming implements like hoes, cutlasses and axes and this partly explains the low productivity. Though a considerable number of farmers use improved seed varieties and agro-chemicals, these have not made a significant impact on production because farmers lack the capital to enable them use these inputs on a sustainable basis.

Though there are no irrigation schemes in the district, farmers in Asafo and Kwanyako sub-district areas engage in dry-season vegetable cultivation making use of rivers and streams by fetching water direct from these water bodies through manual means

Modern storage systems are virtually non-existent. Traditional barns and improved cribs are however employed to store maize. Solar drying methods have been applied on a limited scale for cocoa and recently, pepper. The absence of storage and preservation facilities compels farmers to sell their produce especially vegetables at low prices during the bumper harvest periods. For the same reason also, the annual average post-harvest loss for maize is almost 30%and higher losses have been recorded for vegetables.

Traders from Accra, Tema and Mankessim buy these produce at farm gate and the marketing centres. Though there are 9 markets fairly distributed over the district, the greater volume of trade takes place at Swedru and Nsuansa with the latter handling large volume of raw farm produce.

The district food security situation is that of a poor one, with most farmers running short of food crops during lean periods of the year largely due to low productivity, post-harvest losses among others. The current output level of major food crops such as maize, cassava, plantain stand at 1.8mt/ha, 13.0mt/ha and 4.3mt/ha.

This district however, has the potential of increasing productivity to 3mt/ha for maize, 25mt/ha for Cassava and 6.5mt/ha for plantain throughout the district. The situation for that of vegetable production is not any better, at current levels output levels of vegetables stand at 12mt/ha, however the district has a capacity of producingupto20mt/ha of vegetables.

Livestock production is on a limited scale. Apart from a few cattle and poultry kept on the outskirts of the major towns (Nantifa), all other animal rearing activities are for domestic consumption only. Fishing is done along the Akora and Ayensu rivers. This is economically insignificant. Aquaculture is almost unknown though there are several wetlands that can

Table below shows major crops produced and the area under cultivation.

Table 1.26: Major Crops, Area under Cultivation and yields in Agona East

(SOURCE: MOFA, AGONA EAST. 2017)

Table 1.27: Major Livestock Production

(SOURCE: MOFA, AGONA EAST. 2017)