Ejura (Ash), June 20, GNA - The National Service Scheme (NSS) has begun cultivating a 700-acre maize farm, on its newly acquired 2000-acre plot of land at Ejura in the Ashanti Region, to help complement government's efforts at ensuring food security.
The farm, known as the Ejura Agric Project (EAP), started about two and a half months ago, has already reached tassel stage. The NSS has also started clearing an additional 500-acre of the 2000-acre land, in readiness for the minor season, for maize cultivation. Mr Vincent Senam Kuagbenu, acting Executive Director of NSS who briefed top government officials, NSS Board Members and a team of journalists on the project after conducting them round it at Ejura on Saturday, said management of the NSS had also acquired large track of land in four towns across four regions, namely, Wenchi in Brong Ahafo, Komenda in Central, Dawenya in Greater Accra and Afram Plains in Eastern, to undertake similar project in the next major farming season. Mr Kuagbenu said his motivation for embarking on the project was to "inculcate the spirit of agriculture into our young people" and eventually help to put them back into the sector, which had been left for the elderly in the country.
He said management has plans of extending the project to cover all the 10 regions of the country by 2012. He said the move was intended to wean off the dependence on imported foodstuffs by the populace.
He rebuffed the impression that he had been constantly engaging staff of the NSS to work on the project, saying the "NSS as and when necessary, only recalls service personnel across the country to go and work on the project for specific periods and not that they are permanently posted there". Mr Kuagbenu thanked the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) for supporting the NSS with extension services, fertilizers and other farm implements, which had contributed to the success of the project. Mr Alex Segbefia, Deputy Chief of Staff at the Office of the President commended Mr Kuagbenu for the project, which he described as "a real change and a success story" that was happening on the countryside. Mr Segbefia, who was enthused by the project after going round the project in a moving pick-up vehicle for over 30 minutes, urged the media to bring to the fore development projects that were ongoing on the countryside. Mr Yaw Effah-Baafi, Deputy Minister in-charge of Crops at MOFA, described the project as overwhelming and first in the country's history. Mr Effah-Baafi said about 13 million hectares of the country's land size was arable, but only seven million were being cultivated. He therefore, said the move by the NSS was in the right direction, and assured that MOFA would continue to support and collaborate with the NSS to achieve its targets.
Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, Minister of Education said the farms would serve as practical work centres for students of agriculture as well as their teachers to further boost their understanding of the subject. Mr Tettey-Enyo lauded the project, saying, it would boost the country's financial position as costs on importation of food would reduce. The delegation, later paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Ejura, Nana Kwaku Sarfo II, and presented assorted drinks to him for releasing the land for the project.
Nana Sarfo II pledged his continued support for the project. He said Ejura boasted of favourable weather for agricultural production, and pledged his preparedness to release more lands for the expansion of the project.
Mr Kuagbenu, upon assuming office later last year, began negotiations with the traditional authorities of Ejura, who embraced the project and released 2000 acres of land for the commencement of the project. At the time of the visit, there were 250 service personnel on the farm performing various roles.
Some of them who spoke to the Ghana News Agency expressed support for Mr Kuagbenu for introducing the farm concept to the scheme, saying, it had made them to embrace agriculture. 20 June 10
