USAID hands over planters to farmers in U/W

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has handed over 100 multi crop planters to some women farmers in the Upper West Region to help them overcome the difficulty involved in planting crops.

Each multi crop planter costs GHC275.00 with USAID bearing 70 per cent of the cost.

Mr Andy Karas, USAID acting Mission Director who presented the planters to the women farmers in Wa noted that agricultural production is the biggest focus of the “Feed the Future Agriculture Technology Transfer Project”, a United States Government’s Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative.

He said USAID is partnering Mennonite Economic Development Associate (MEDA), Community Aid for Rural Development and Antika Company Limited in the implementation of the project in the Region.

Mr Karas said USAID is always searching for new and innovative science and technology initiatives to adopt to improve agriculture in the country, especially in the savannah zone and commended private sector partnership with USAID to achieve the objectives.

The USAID Director said focus was placed on women because they are the back bone of agriculture in the area and also because of the crucial role they play in the welfare of families.

Alhaji Abdulai Antiku Seidu, Managing Director of Antika Company Limited, the supplier of the multi crop planters thanked USAID for engaging his company in the numerous agriculture projects embarked on in the region.

He said USAID’s mission and vision had impacted positively on peasant and commercial farmers in the region, adding that handing over of the multi crop planters to MEDA for distribution is yet another improvement in the method of farming especially planting.

“These are some of the innovations that are gradually changing the primitive method of farming inherited from their ancestors,” he said.

The Antika Company Managing Director urged the women to learn fast from the demonstration that would be carried out to enable them to put the planter into effective use as soon as possible since the farming season has began.