Source: newsthemegh.com
The National Service Scheme (NSS) is committed to improving the prospects for the nation’s agriculture under the SKEEP initiative.
The project, aside developing the competencies of the youth in agriculture by providing hands-on training in livestock rearing and crop production, will produce enough food to complement the country’s agriculture gains.
Already, the project has started on a 4,000-acre plot and 560 bags of maize have been successfully harvested.
During an inspection tour with the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum the Executive Director of NSS, Osei Assibey Antwi, stated the Scheme’s intention to support the Ministry of Education with harvested produce for distribution to schools.
He explained that the idea was important to complement Government’s resolve to provide quality food for students in the country.
Mr. Assibey Antwi also expressed the scheme’s intention to supply produce from the SKEEP to the Poultry Farmers Association to support poultry farming.
“The National Service Scheme is an agency under the Ministry of Education, and by extension, a governmental institution. So, if the government is supporting us to grow maize, rice, and soya beans, then the end results will also support government projects and programs. And the government program that we are going to support is the School Feeding Program as well as the Free SHS,” he said.
“That is where we want to channel our support to. But that is not to say that these are the only two areas we are envisaging. As of now, we have even signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Poultry Farmers Association. So, we will be producing for Ghana as a whole.”
Also speaking, the education minister, lauded the initiative and urged the management of the Scheme to keep up the great work.
He further expressed confidence that the problem of food shortages in schools could be successfully resolved by expanding school farms and collaborating on such initiatives.
“The NSS project will support the school feeding program. With the school feeding program, you can reduce costs when you get products from the farm. Literally, you are buying at warehouse prices, wholesale prices. The items bought here will be cheaper than what you buy from the market. Reducing your cost of production also makes the project sustainable because you can feed the children with less money and they will get more for less.”
“The same thing applies to the Free SHS Program. Even though we are going to be buying the produce, we are buying them at wholesale prices. Therefore, it will lead to a situation where we are reducing the cost of feeding students.” He said.