SADA assists flood victims with fertilizer and seeds

Tolon (N/R), July 25, GNA – The Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) is spending over three million Ghana cedis in providing 24,000 bags f fertilizer and 54 tons of hybrid maize(Pannar) seeds for distribution to farmers who were affected by the 2010 floods.

Under the intervention, in the Northern Region 5,000 acres of land is to be cultivated to benefit 2,500 households in 669 communities with 45,000 kilogrammes of seed and 2000 bags of fertilizer supplied.

In the Upper West and Upper East regions 790 and 550 households respectively are to benefit. Distribution of the inputs to the affected areas started in early May.

Dr Charles Jebuni, Chief Technical Advisor of SADA, told journalists that the programme was to also benefit other farmers who did not get any assistance during a previous United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) agriculture input support programme as well as farmers willing to move from their present locations to higher ground to avoid future floods.

Dr Jebuni said with the provision of the high quality seeds and the effective application of the fertilizer it was expected that at the least at the minimum an acre of maize would yield 1.5 tons and three tons of maize at the maximum.

He said among other things, the objective of SADA's intervention was to assist households that had lost their means of production as a result of the floods and to introduce new agriculture techniques as well as provide tractor services for farmers to increase production.

The programme, he said, also seeks to increase the incomes of farmers by providing them with market linkages and to assist them to adequately prepare for the next cropping season.

Dr Jebuni said the Programme would also include the rehabilitation of dams and dugouts and a housing scheme for the farmers.

GNA