Tamale Metro Agric Director sees prospect in farming

Mr Stephen Yakubu, Tamale Metropolitan Director of Agriculture says agriculture still remains the surest way to end poverty in Ghana.

He therefore asked farmer based organisations to be honest in their relationship with organisations that support them to step up production and adopt the best agronomic practices to increase their yield.

Mr Yakubu was speaking during a capacity building workshop for 150 smallholder rice farmers at Zorbugu, a farming community in Tamale.

The capacity building programme was organised by Savanna Irrigation Farms and Agro-Trade Investment Company Limited (SIFA), a local agro-trade company, and funded by Market Development in Northern Ghana (MADE), in collaboration with UK Department for International Development.

SIFA and MADE have organised similar workshops for farmers in Tatale, Zabzugu, Savelugu, Mion and Karaga.

Mr Yakubu said the time when farmers get free packages from government to stimulate them is over and asked the participants to pay back credit they contract for their farming activities.

Mr Sylvester Adongo, a retired Agriculturist and SIFA Project Advisor, expressed the need for smallholder farmers to increase production and break out of poverty.

Mr Alhassan Abdulai, Agricultural Extension Agent, took participants through a number of best farm models like group dynamics, setting up businesses and conflict resolution.

Mr Sumani Iddrisu, a 44-year-old Farmer and Chairman of Gubdan-da Farmer Group in Zorbugu expressed concern about erratic rainfall in the area and appealed to SIFA and MADE to put in measures to mitigate the problem.