THE 31ST graduation ceremony of the BOK Nam Kim Agricultural School and Farms Limited was held here on Friday, with a call on the government and all stakeholders to step up efforts to boost rice production in the country.

In all, 38 men selected from the Ministry of Agriculture, Prisons Service, youth centres among others underwent a five-week intensive course in modern methods of rice cultivation.

Instituted in 1982 by the late Bok-Nam Kim, a Korean philanthropist and industrialist the centre has trained about 1109 people 160 of whom are women free of charge, to support the cultivation of rice to boost the country's food security.

In his address, the South Korean Ambassador to Ghana, Wi Keyei Chul, said Korea/Ghana bilateral relations is growing stronger saying "due to the fact that Ghana is Korea's main partner in Africa, our support for Ghana's development has rapidly increased and intensified in various fronts."

He said currently the government of Korea is supporting its Ghanaian counterpart with five million dollars to improve basic education and maternal healthcare and added "last year both governments launched the 'E-government project' to enhance the government's administrative efficiency and effectiveness."

Mr Wi further said the Korean government has dispatched a preliminary survey team to Ghana to carry out feasibility studies on a new city project around the oil developing area in the Western Region.

He said, "Korea will continue to fund at least two or three million dollars projects every year to support Ghana's economic development and improve the living standards of the people."

He urged the government to intensify the effort to revolutionalise agriculture in order to tackle the country's economic problems.

Abraham Addae Manu, Deputy Director, Crop Services, who represented the Minister of Agriculture as the guest speaker said the New Rice for Africa (NERICA) initiative is being carefully pursued to boost rice cultivation in Ghana.

He said the ministry expects to use 12,000 hectres of land to produce about 80,000 metric tonnes of rice to make up for the current shortfall saying "rice cultivation is very low but the government is doing its best to encourage more people to go into rice cultivation".

Mr S.C. Chun, who represented the chairperson of the AFKO Group of Companies, owners of the farm commended the government for creating an enabling environment for investments to thrive and said AFKO would continue to support the development of all sectors, especially agriculture.

Commander (Rtd) Keith Dadzie, who was the chairman of the ceremony urged graduands to put into good use the knowledge at the school saying "soil, seeds and water are all that you need to change the lives of others".

Source: Times Reporter, Akuse - The Ghanaian Times