John Deere, Yara Ghana demonstrates farm mechanisation

John Deere and Yara Ghana Limited (YGL), have demonstrated to farmers and agribusiness students a successful results of using farm mechanisation and the right chemicals to plant and harvest crops.

The demonstration exercise which was held in Accra aimed at proving to small and large scale farmers as well as students who study agriculture the yield that accrues from employment of mechanisation and the right fertilizers to farming.

The demonstration exercise included harvesting of a maize plantation with the John Deere Harvesters and education on how to successfully yield large scale crops.

Mr Kevin Lesser, Tactical Marketing Manager of John Deere, Sub-Saharan Africa told the GNA in an interview that it could be difficult for Ghanaian farmers to reach their expectation and yield better results if they continue using labour for their farm operations.

He said Africans are fortunate because they could farm for 365 days during a year unlike that of certain continents and should therefore take advantage of it to increase productivity.

Mr Lesser urged the government to reconsider farmers by putting measures in place to let farmers get easy access to finance that will increase production stressing that better agricultural system changes the fortune of the country.

Mr Johannes Eshun, Operator of the John Deere Financial, said the financial subsidiary has partnered alliance banks including Sinapi Aba to support farmers who wish to access loans with less interest rates to purchase farm equipment.

He said they also guide farmers to purchase the right equipment for their operations depending on their financial abilities.

Mr Kwame Okyere, Marketing Manager of YGL the body company organises training programmes on crop nutrition for farmers across the country in order to apply the right approach to increase production.

“In Ghana, it seems farmer who engage in subsistence farming are perceived as poor but having knowledge on the right mechanisation and chemicals suitable for the land and crops can yield better results,” he said.

Mr Okyere said the demonstration exercise had a plantation of maize grown with Yara Mila Actyva and harvested with John Deere’s combine harvesters to prove to farmers and students how easy and faster agriculture can be done and on a large scale.

Mr Osei Kusi, a small scale farmer who was a participant at the demonstration exercise told the GNA in an interview that, the exercise helped to choose the right nutrition for each crop and as well gave him knowledge on how to acquire the right equipment for crop production through the John Deere Financial Aid.