“Farmers Contribution Is Laudable”

“Farmers Contribution Towards Nation Building Is Laudable” Says Jaman South District Director Of Agriculture

From: Ransford K. Agyemang, Drobo

“Farmers contribution towards nation building is laudable. Time has come for all agric related NGOs to augment the effort of the central government in its quest to strengthen the agric sector that has over the years been tagged as the nation’s economic backbone”. The Jaman South District director in charge of agriculture, Mr. Ransford Boakye Boadu divulged this at Drobo, the District capital during a stakeholders meeting organized for Jaman South Co-operative Plantain Growers Association.

The day’s engagement which attracted over 50 plantain farmers within the District and her immediate environment was sponsored by Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) with support from DANIDA, USAID and European Union. Amid standing ovation from the participants, the District director commended the farmers for their contribution towards nation building by engaging in plantain farming. He further assured the participants of the central government’s support through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, explaining that the government through the Agric Ministry has lined up a number of pragmatic measures to help elevate plantain farming in the country, particularly within plantain growing areas.

Mr. Boadu was of the view that even though the central government is poised to improve agriculture in Ghana through mechanized farming, the support would be a mirage if the target group feels reluctant to make good use of the numerous technical supports. He further proposed the readiness of the directorate to support plantain growers in the District.

According to the director, since Jaman South District is one of the recognized areas noted for the cultivation of plantain, the agric directorate will play her assigned role by supporting farmers in the area with the needed technical assistance through the extension service officers operating in the District. “Even though the number of farmers in the District far outnumbers the extension services officers the directorate will never negate her expected responsibilities”, he explained. The plantain farmers were advised never to feel reluctant to report any form of problem concerning their farming activities.

The participants who were drawn from plantain growing communities in the Jaman South District made useful contribution towards successful plantain growing in the District. They established that the support from BUSAC will go a long way to help improve plantain farming in the District.

The farmers recounted the numerous bottlenecks associated with their operations and expressed optimism that through BUSAC support they would get the right antidote to overcome the predicaments serving as barricade to plantain farming in the District. In a separate contribution, the farmers made a passionate appeal to the Jaman South District agric directorate to take a critical look at the challenges associated with plantain farming in the District and help find a lasting way out to the existing problem.

In a related development, the chairman of Jaman South Beekeepers Association Mr. Raymond Nketia commended BUSAC for funding their advocacy campaign, reiterating that there is still the need for the District agric directorate to extend their support to beekeepers operating within Drobo and her immediate environs. He explained that the end results of the advocacy campaign led to beekeeping been adjudged the best non-traditional traditional farming in the Jaman South District in 2012 farmers day at the District level.

According to the chairman, it is still necessary for the Ghana Standard Board to help assess the purity of honey produce by beekeepers in Jaman South District through regular visits. He therefore lamented that upon all the unadulterated nature of honey produce in the area there is still poor market, adding that the intervention of the Ministry of Trade and Industry is the appropriate and recognized body that can help overcome the problem thereby considering guiding their mode of operations.

Mr. Nketia advised beekeepers to endeavour to protect their beehives against wild fires due to the existence of the dry season. According to him it is at this period of the year that activities of some recalcitrant farmers and hunters are always at its peak. The chairman added that farmers do take advantage of the dryness of the weather to burn weeds for cultivation. The beekeepers were further counseled to develop the habit of building fire belts against bushfires.