About 1,352 farmers comprising 992 males and 360 females have been registered under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) policy, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Pru West, David Manu, has disclosed.
In order to reduce the financial burden of farmers, Mr Manu noted that the government under the PFJ, has provided farmers in the area with various inputs, variety of agricultural seeds, species of fishes and fertilisers to improve yield and quality of produce.
The DCE in an interview with the Ghanaian Times yesterday at Prang in the Bono East Region acknowledged the role of farmers in the enclave for consistently ensuring food security in the region and beyond.
“It is the vision of the New Patriotic Party to seek sustainable solutions to end hunger in all forms by 2030, achieve food security, improve nutrition and to ensure jobs creation for a consolidated food systems in Ghana,” he added.
Mr Manu disclosed that the Pru West is among the three districts in the region earmarked to benefit from agricultural machinery package namely combined harvesters, tractors and power tillers among others to boost rice production.
He told the Ghanaian Times that a team of consultants from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has carried out a survey of rice valleys in the Pru West District.
The DCE further said the rice cultivation which would take off in February next year, will assemble Japanese and Brazilian professionals for the introduction of innovative ideas and mechanisation of agriculture in the area.
Mr Manu expressed gratitude to Central Sugar Factory and Smart Oil Company, and other institutions from the private sector for their immense contribution towards the provision of job opportunities for residents in the district.
“The assembly still needs your support in the fight against delicate issues bedeviling the enclave namely security threats such as bush fires, robbery, stray animals among others to create peace and an enabling environment for farming,” he told the Ghanaian Times.
Mr Manu congratulated the 2021 award winners in the recently held 37th annual Farmers’ Day celebration and charged them to improve on their production saying that I wish those who could not win a better luck next time.
He disclosed that the construction of a starch factory under the One District – One Factory (1D1F) industrialisation programme of the government was ongoing in the area, adding that it will create about 2,000 job opportunities upon completion.
The DCE thanked the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), for supporting agricultural activities in the Pru West District through research work.
FROM EMMANUEL ADU GYAMFI, PRANG
