The Kwadaso Municipal Assembly last week Friday celebrated the National Farmers’ Day with a call on farmers to help “salvage the country’s economy through enhanced value addition to our agricultural produce and to critically reduce post-harvest waste and meet international standards for foreign exchange”.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Richmond Agyenim-Boateng, who made the appeal, observed that although farmers in the country are considered small scale, “they play an indispensable role in improving the micro economic situation of the country by means of enhancing sustainable rural livelihoods,” which is the hope for food security for the country.
The MCE, who addressed the Farmers’ Day durbar at the forecourt of Akenten Appiah Menkah University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) at Asuoyeboah-Tanoso said out of the several flagship programmes initiated by the NPP government, “Planting for food and jobs” has supported the agricultural industry through the provision of improved seeds, subsidized fertilizers and the availability of extension services.
Mr. Agyenim-Boateng said the Kwadaso Municipal Assembly initiated the “Planting for Export and Rural Development” (PERD) project by raising 2,000 mango seedlings which can cover some 30 acres of mango farm and distributed them to about 37 farmers within the municipality.
Madam Mavis Agyeiwaa Yeboah, the Municipal Director of Agriculture stated that adopting efficient and improved ways of cultivation was the surest way to food security in the country.
She advised the farmers to resort to the use of organic fertilizers because even the farmers in the jurisdictions where these chemical fertilizers are manufactured are shifting away from its use to the organic fertilizers.
Dr. Kingsley Nyarko, Member of Parliament for Kwadaso Constituency explained that the purpose of the flagship “One district, one factory” (1D1F) programme is to help reduce the US$10Â billion that is used annually to import all kinds of foodstuffs into the country.
Dr. Nyarko said introducing “adding value” to the 1D1F flagship programme would make the agricultural industry complete.
He lamented that the agricultural sector’s contribution to the economy was comparatively low and needed to be uplifted, adding that the country must tackle the illegal mining issues once and for all, in order not to start importing everything foodstuff in the future.
The Vice Chancellor of AMMUSTED, Prof. Frederick Kwaku Sarfo, who presided over the durbar, observed that this year’s theme: “Accelerating Agricultural Development Through Value Addition” was apt, because it called for changing the state of raw agricultural produce to make them valuable and also to last longer.
Prof. Sarfo said the university is playing its community engagement roles very well by using its knowledge and skills to help society and appealed to farmers to fully embrace the idea of value addition to farm produce as it can help in several ways.
Mr. Ferdinand Obeng Agyemang emerged the overall 2022 Best Farmer of the Kwadaso Municipality.
From Thomas Agbenyegah Adzey, KumasiÂ
