Domeabra (Ash), March 17, GNA - The Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA) has donated a variety of improved planting materials including tree seedlings valued at about 15 million cedis to farmers at Domeabra and its surrounding communities in the Ejisu-Juaben district. The materials included large quantities of 'Obantampa' seed maize, tomatoes and hibernated pepper (hot pepper), 5,000 seedlings of garden eggs, as well as 12,000 tree seedlings.
The donation is expected will benefit over 500 farmers. Making the presentation at Domeabra on Tuesday, Mr Samuel Owusu-Takyi, Senior Technical Officer of KITA, said the gesture was the institute's contribution towards making improved seeds and seedlings more available to farmers, especially those in the very rural areas. He said KITA had noticed that even though farmers were zealous on using improved planting materials, they did not have access to them, hence the decision of the institute to intervene and provide them with such materials.
Mr Owusu-Takyi said KITA's gesture was not going to end at only the distribution of the improved seeds and seedlings to the farmers, but it would also back it up with extension support services.
"Out students will be sent out to assist farmers on their farms with skills in respect of planting and growing of improved variety of seeds as well as introducing them to modern farming techniques", he added.
Mr Owusu-Takyi appealed to farming related non-governmental organisations and private institutions to liase closely with public agricultural institutions in assisting the country's farmers. Mr Collins Adjei Frimpong, Chairman of the Domeabra unit committee, who received the items on behalf of the farmers, commended KITA for its concern for development of agriculture in the area.
He acknowledged that KITA has always assisted them not only with seeds and seedlings but also with appropriate farming skills and appealed to other private agriculture organisations to emulate the institute.
