Credit-package disbursed to 17 farmers groups

Tamale, July 28, GNA- Under the Livestock Development Project (LDP) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) over 284 million cedis has been disbursed to 17 livestock farmer groups in the Tamale Metropolis to increase livestock production.

Under the package, the beneficiary farmer groups, who are mainly ruminant farmers each received 30 million cedis which would be paid over a period of time with an interest rate of 24 per cent.

Mr. Sylvester Adongo, Northern Regional Director of MOFA said this in a speech read for him at a day's sensitisation seminar organised by the Northern Livestock Farmers Association (NORLFA) in Tamale on Saturday.

The forum was under the theme: "Advocacy for regulatory policy to check Fulani herdsmen in the North" and was sponsored by the BUSAC Fund.

Mr. Adongo said under the LDP, 10 districts in the Northern Region, namely: Tamale Metropolis, Savelugu/Nanton, Tolon/kumbungu, Central Gonja, West Gonja, East Gonja, Karaga, Gushiegu, East Mamprusi, Bunkurugu/Yunyo and Saboba/Chereponi Districts had been selected to benefit.

Mr. Adongo said under the breed improvement component of the LDP, the Pong-Tamale centre had been renovated and restocked with improved breeds of small ruminants from which farmers in the Tamale Metropolis were benefiting from.

The Regional Director of MOFA said the Farmer Project had also been able to support four nucleus sheep farmers to establish nucleus sheep farms in the Metropolis.

He however expressed disappointment that under the stock water development component of the LDP under which eight communities in the Metropolis were selected to benefit from, up till now, none of them had benefited from either a borehole or a dugout.

Mr. Adongo called for a policy to check the harmful activities of Fulani herdsmen in the country.

Mr. Sumaila Seidu Hudu, Northern Regional Officer of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS)-in-charge of alien registration said the Service had started to introduce the Alien Registration Card (ARC) to Fulani herdsmen to help check their movement in the country.

He said their efforts were however been hindered by the uncooperative attitude of cattle owners and some chiefs and appealed to the other security agencies, the district assemblies and opinion leaders to assist the GIS enforce the laws on the Fulani herdsmen.