Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, the Central Regional Minister, has said the region has the potential to produce enough rice to feed the country and boost the economy and livelihoods of farmers.
She said the Central Region was aiming to be a rice production hub of Ghana and also to produce rice seedlings for rice farmers in the country.
“Undoubtedly, the region has the capacity and prospects to produce rice to meet local demand and for export as well,” she said.
Mrs Marigold Assan said this when she led a 14-member team from Ghana to Seoul, South Korea, to participate in a training on Rice Value Chain Improvement Project in the Central Region.
The 10-day training is organised and sponsored by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
The purpose of the training is to let participants get first-hand information on how Korea was able to become rice sufficient and eliminate rice exports which has boost their economy to be one of the best in the world.
It is aimed at equipping the participants with the best practices in South Korea and exposed them to their success story in rice production to the United States level of self-sufficiency and also to broaden and build the knowledge base of Directors of Agriculture and some top officials in rice production to work towards improving the quality of life of rice farmers in the Central Region.
The participants would be taken to, for a study trip to Korea Rural Development Administration, Korea Rice Production complexes and related institutions, field trips to Farmer Federation for Rice Value Chains, visits to quality control and marketing institutions/agencies and study visits to agricultural mechanisation rental service centre.
Mrs Marigold Assan revealed that the knowledge the participants will acquire would help to increase the quality and add value to rice production in the Central Region.
She said: “We will adopt the methods used by Korea to boost the rice industry and also strengthen the relationship between the region and KOICA.”
Mrs Marigold Assan said KOICA was currently operating in five districts in the Central Region namely, Gomoa East, AssinFosu, Assin South, Assin North and Twifo Atti-Morkwa and has engaged the services of 514 farmers in the cultivation of rice.
She revealed that she was enthused about the rapid development of the country through the SaemaulUndong movement, where citizens championed and spearheaded their own development.
The Central Regional Minister said the training has been an eye opener and that the Korean economy boom was nothing short but a miracle which was created by a collective efforts and the will of the people to help themselves in participating in the development process of the country.
“Korea was once poor in the 1950s due to wars but have been able to overcome all challenges and rise from grass to grace … we can also do it,” she said.
BY TIMES REPORTER
