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AGRICULTURE

Kintampo Department of Agric gives cashew seedlings to farmers

The Kintampo Municipal Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Municipal Assembly has distributed cashew seedlings to farmers in the municipality.

Date Created : 8/6/2019 6:56:25 AM : Story Author : Rufina Yuoni/Ghanadistricts.com

The seedlings numbering up to ten thousand (10,000,000) is in support of one of the government’s special initiative ‘Planting for Export and Rural Development’ in the Municipality.

At a brief ceremony held at the forecourt of the Department of Agriculture Kintampo, the Municipal Director of Agric, Mr. Simon Yambon said, the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) is one of the models of Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), adding that PERD is aimed at decentralizing the national tree crop program to promote Rural Economic Growth and improve household incomes of rural farmers through the provision of certified seedlings, extension services, business support and regulatory mechanisms.

Mr. Simon Yambon Director of Agric Kintampo North municipality giving his Speech

He again revealed that, last year the Assembly supported 251 farmers with 17,000 cashew seedlings and now they are well established and are doing well.

The Agric Director also added that this year, the Assembly with the support of Modernizing Agriculture support in Ghana (MAG) scaled up to 100,000 seedlings. Which will be able to cover 2500 acres.

Nonetheless, he said the department is having some challenges such as famers’ response to improved technologies is very slow, improved high and quick rice seeds were brought for farmers to improve their production, yet farmers still stick to their old seeds.

Again 110 bags of soya bean seeds are in stock for them, yet they are reluctant to go into the cultivation with the excuse of no market. He also said the department have linked this farmers with buyers and that a processing company in Kumasi is ready to buy any tonnage we produce here.

He concluded by saying time is available to plant both rice and soya beans and that seeds are available at subsidized price.

The MCE presenting Cashew seedling to a Female farmer

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Kintampo Municipality, Mr. Michael Sarkodie Baffoe was also overwhelmed by the number of farmers seen at the program. He indicated that it was the wish of the government superintended by President Nana Akufo Addo to take agriculture to the next level and thus creating food sufficiency.

He said as a result of that the government is initiating all these flagship programs such as Planting for Food and Jobs that would give as jobs and money in the feature, reeling for Export and so on.

Dignities, Heads of Departments and Agric Extension Officers at the Program

The MCE also stated that all should support this important Couse of the president for the development Ghana.

Mr. Sarkodie appealed to the farmers not to politicizes these programs implemented by the government but appreciate it for the betterment of us all.