A significant campaign pledge from the 2024 elections was fulfilled on Saturday when Ghana’s first Farmer Services Center in Takoratwene was officially opened by President John Dramani Mahama.
Speaking at the event, the President characterised the project as a revolutionary move toward modernising Ghana’s agriculture sector and eschewing conventional farming practices.
The President said “The era of farming with traditional tools such as cutlasses and hoes must give way to modern, mechanised agriculture, across the world, developed countries are far ahead because they have embraced technology and sophisticated machinery in farming.”
The new Farmer Services Center, according to the President, is an all-encompassing strategy for agricultural change.
Tractors, combine harvesters, threshers, and other contemporary equipment will be housed in the facility, along with a special maintenance unit to guarantee equipment availability. Additionally, it will function as a training center where enrolled farmers can acquire cutting-edge farming methods and best practices.
The center’s soil testing laboratory, which will offer farmers analysis services to direct crop choices and fertiliser application for improved yields, is one of its primary features.
Officers will be on hand to help registered farmers in obtaining seeds and fertilisers directly from the center.
Farmers will be able to avoid selling products at disadvantageous rates right away after harvest thanks to the facility’s warehouses and storage silos. To guarantee higher returns, the center will instead buy crops, keep them, and sell them at the best periods.
The President declared, “To ensure farmers receive fair prices for their produce, often higher than prevailing market rates, the government will also introduce a minimum recommended price each year.”
Afram Plains was selected as the initial center because it is one of Ghana’s food baskets, producing large amounts of cassava, groundnuts, and maize.
“The Farmer Services Centre represents a bold step towards modernising agriculture in Ghana, ogether, we can transform Afram Plains into a true engine of food security and economic growth for our nation,” the President concluded.
The President disclosed that the government set aside 200 million cedis last year and raised that sum to 300 million cedis this year for school food purchases through the National Buffer Stock Company.
The government will give fertilisers at no cost this year in reaction to the losses farmers suffered after last year’s abundant harvest.
Additionally, the President reassured farmers that local production is still the major priority and that no new permits for the import of maize have been approved.
He announced that the government has given SONITRA Constructions Limited a contract to build the Adawso–Ekye Amanfrom bridge across the Afram River, which will enhance trade and transportation.
The President also said that since last year, irrigation projects totalling about 900 hectares have been started in the Afram Plains, allowing for year-round cultivation once they are finished.
In order to increase accessibility, the Big Push Program will also include the route from Adawso to Abloblodepke.
Source: newsthemegh.com