1,200 Agric extension officers employed in 100 days – Bawumia

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has announced that government has lifted the ban on the hiring of Agric Extension officers, saying about 1200 of them had been recruited thus far.

This, according to him, would ensure that the government’s audacious programme of ‘planting for food and jobs’ which will be launched Wednesday April 19, 2017 becomes a success and a model worthy of emulation across the sub-region.

“We have hired 1200 Agric extension officers and trained them and they are about to be deployed out there. Remember that there was a freeze on the hiring of Agric extension officers for many years,” said Dr. Bawumia during his presentation at a Joy FM town hall meeting to mark the government’s first 100 days in office Monday.

Also, he said fertilizer prices have reduce significantly since President Akufo-Addo assumed the reigns of the country.

“…Fertilizers prices have reduced by 50 percent because we promised that we were going to subsidize fertilizers to make sure farmers can get fertilizers at lower prices as well as in sufficient quantities,” he said.

He continued that not only did the government reduced the prices of fertilizers by half, it also imported 300,000 metric tonnes of the commodity into the country this year.

“This is higher than any annual import in Ghana since 2007,” the former deputy governor of Bank of Ghana said.

He further observed that Ghana has increased her cooporation with Ivory Coast as far as cocoa prices are concerned to lower the volatility of prices in the market.

“…And so, we have been meeting with Ivory Coast and now have an agreement to collaborate…to make sure cocoa prices are not volatile to our detriment. This is a major and historic landmark for us,” he pointed out.