Skyfox launches second integrated aquaculture and crop production project

Skyfox Limited, investors in agriculture has launched the second phase of its Integrated aquaculture and crop production programme at Donkorkrom in the Kwahu Afram Plains North District of the Eastern Region.

The launch was an extension of the first phase of the programme that ended successfully in February this year.

The programme that seeks to provide support to crop and fish farmers is a three-year programme financed by the USAID with support from the Afram Plains Development Organisation (APDO).

The project was also to empower women and the youth in agriculture and is in line with the government’s policy in agriculture and youth employment.

Speaking at the launch, Mr Patrick Apoya, the Chief Executive Officer of Skyfox Limited said, the first phase of the project exposed fish farmers to modern techniques in producing and harvesting fish and increased their production.

He said the same would be replicated to beneficiaries of the second phase and even infrastructures such as fish ponds and other materials would be provided to them.

Mr Apoya said, this would be provided to the group of farmers at a subsidy hinting that, 20 per cent of the profits made by the groups would go to the organisation and the 80 per cent to the beneficiaries of the project.

He said the project was also launched in Kete- Krachi in the Krachi East Districts of the Volta Region to support low income earners.

Mr Apoya indicated that the organisation would be targeting over 1.2 million people across the West African Sub Region to include; Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Guinea Conakry and Liberia and 120,000 people in Ghana.

To ensure masive production of food all year round, he said the project would introduce intensive management strategy that would flash out wasted water from the fish ponds and be tapped to the irrigation fields and urged crop farmers to acquire lands near the river banks to facilitate the irrigation of their farms.

He called for a partnership with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to help establish more of such projects in other regions to support government agriculture policies.

Mr Samuel Kena, the Afram Plains North District Chief Executive commended Skyfox and the Afram Plains Development Organisation for extending the programme to the district and therefore encouraged the farmers to embrace the programme in order to better their standards of living.