PERD programme makes progress in Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality

The Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) programme has recorded tremendous improvement in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality.

The assembly's seed banks in Mile 8, Esuoso, Bonsaso and Simpa have raised 1,150,000 seedlings to support the programme.

The seedlings comprised of 1,000,000 cocoa nursery, 100,000 oil palm and 50,000 coconut.

Mr. Glibert Kennedy Asmah, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Tarkwa-Nsuaem, disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tarkwa.

He said under the programme, the assembly distributed 37,000 cocoa seedlings to hundreds of farmers in the Municipality.

Mr Asmah added that the assembly also recruited about 300 youth and unemployed graduates for specific crops in the Municipality, who were trained as extension agents to support the farmers to expand their farms.

"Agriculture remains a top most priority to the Akufo-Addo government because it has the potential to transform the livelihood of farmers and provide job opportunities as well," he indicated.

Mr. Asmah assured farmers that the government was prepared to do all it could to support them, adding that, they should get involved in the PERD programme.

The Government through the joint effort of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture rolled out the PERD programme to develop nine commodity value chains namely; cashew, coffee, cotton coconut, citrus, oil palm, mango, rubber and shea through a decentralised system.

The programme seeks to create sustainable raw material base to spur up the decentralised industrialisation drive through One District, Factory initiative.

The five-year programme further intends to support one million farmers in 170 districts with certified free planting materials to cover over one million hectares of farmlands and engage 10,000 young graduates as crop specialised extension officers.