University of Energy implements €70,000 agric project

The University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in partnership with University of Molise in Italy, and Guru University in Uganda are implementing 70,000 -Euro project to improve agriculture productivity.

The three-year project dubbed: “Strengthening innovations and technology dissemination for sustainable development in cereals and cocoa,” is being implemented in Techiman, Nkoranza South and Asunafo North Municipalities of Brong-Ahafo Region.

It is targeting 40 cocoa and maize farmers in the beneficiary districts.

The Reverend Dr Phyllis Opare, Operational Unit Assistant of the Project, and a lecturer at the UENR, who made this known explained that the scheme would supply maize and cocoa farmers with fertilizers, farm inputs and other implements free of charge.

She was speaking to Ghana News Agency in an interview after the project organised a trainer of trainers’ workshop for about 20 of the beneficiary farmers drawn from Nkoranza, Techiman, and Tanoso at the University campus at Fiapre, near Sunyani.

Rev Opare explained that the project which had established a secretariat at the university would introduce the farmers into modern methods of farming and exposed them to best hybrids of crop seeds.

She said with support from an Ethiopian international non-governmental organisation, Bio-Economy, also a partner to the project, the farmers would have other opportunities for broad spectrum of technology for modernised farming.

Rev Opare said the crop cultivation and fertilizer applications are crucial to improve yields.

She said under the project beneficially farmers are being discouraged from applying weedicides to clear their farms.