Ministry launches farmers' business book

Sandema (U/E), Nov 24, GNA - The Ministry of Food and Agriculture on Wednesday launched a Farmers Business Book at Sandema in the Builsa District. The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, said the book, which was developed by the ministry, is aimed at empowering farmers to be able to take stock of their business transactions. He said record keeping by farmers had been a major problem and in modern agriculture it was incumbent on farmers to have credit records, farm management records and training records among others. Mr Ahwoi said the Ministry had already introduced the book to groups that had adopted the value chain approach being promoted by the Northern Rural Growth Project.

Sandema (U/E), Nov 24, GNA - The Ministry of Food and Agriculture on Wednesday launched a Farmers Business Book at Sandema in the Builsa District. The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, said the book, which was developed by the ministry, is aimed at empowering farmers to be able to take stock of their business transactions. He said record keeping by farmers had been a major problem and in modern agriculture it was incumbent on farmers to have credit records, farm management records and training records among others. Mr Ahwoi said the Ministry had already introduced the book to groups that had adopted the value chain approach being promoted by the Northern Rural Growth Project. The book captures the bio-data of the farmer, the year by year production, sales and incomes, credit and repayment records as well as other farm business such as livestock. Mr Ahwoi said the Northern Rural Growth Project (NRGP), which is being co-financed by the Ghana government, International Fund for Agriculture Development and the Africa Development Bank, was promoting agri-business by adopting the Value Chain Approach among farmers. He said the project, which is being implemented in the northern part of the country, had already established business linkages for farmers with financial institutions, service providers and marketing companies. Mr Ahwoi said in pursuance of the business linkages between buyers and producers, the NRGP was working in partnership with the Vegetable Producers and Exporters Association to provide the market for high value fruits and vegetables for export. Some farmers have been engaged by the Tono Irrigation Project in the Kassena Nankana District and appealed to farmers in Navrongo, Vea and Pwalugu to take advantage of the project to improve upon their living conditions. The Minister appealed to chiefs and people in the area to educate the citizens to desist from indiscriminate cutting down of trees for charcoal burning and avoid farming close to water bodies.