Planting For Food And Jobs Would Require More Storage Facilities

Donkorkrom (E/R), Oct 5, GNA - Mr Ebenezer Azidoku, the Afram Plains North District Agriculture Director has called on government to provide storage facilities such as Improved Narrow Ventilated Crib, silos and grain dryers to beneficiary farmers of the 'planting for food and jobs' programme.

Making the call through the Ghana News Agency (GNA), he said the provision of those storage facilities would enable farmers produce on a large scale to improve their standards of living.

He mentioned that his outfit at the beginning of the programme registered 302 farmers in the district adding that the number had been encouraging as all of them received the improved maize seedlings and fertilizers on time.

Mr Azidoku said his Department received 131 bags of improved seedlings (Obaatanpa), 5,388 bags of NPK and 2,319 bags of Urea from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) which he said was enough for the farmers who registered for the programme in the district.

Most of the farmers, he noted have planted for both the minor and the major seasons and awaiting harvest before the close of the year.

He said despite the challenges the farmers faced when the issue of the fall army worm came up, the programme was successful as MOFA stood in and supplied the farmers with 408 litres of insecticides and 1,200 sachets of insecticides to control the disease and to increase yield.

He said his Department is still registering farmers for the minor season and therefore entreated all farmers to visit any Agriculture Office for them to be registered.

He therefore pleaded with the government to provide the necessary logistics such as motor bikes, wellington boots and raincoats to Extension Officers to enable them carry out their duty effectively.

GNA
By Eunice Tekie Tei, GNA