KMA to reintroduce 'Operation Feed Yourself' to enhance food security

Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is to reintroduce “Operation Feed Yourself” in the city which allows the residents to make use of available small lands in their backyards for farming activities to enhance food security in the region.

This, according to the city authorities, will allow the residents to be self-sufficient without relying on other food crops which sometimes come with their own health hazard implications.

The Mayor of Kumasi Hon. Osei Assibey Antwi said this in his speech at the 33rd Anniversary celebration of the annual Farmers’ Day held at Atwima Takyiman in the Kwadaso Sub-Metro by the Kumasi Metro on Tuesday November 28.

In all 21 farmers were rewarded with certificates, mattresses, cutlasses, knapsack sprayers, weedicides/insecticides among others.

The main event is scheduled to take place at the Kumasi Sports stadium on Friday December 1.

This year’s theme for the anniversary is “Farming for Food and Jobs”

First Friday of the month of December every year is set aside to honor farmers for their contribution in the growth of the economy.

In February 1972, barely a month after he came to power, Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong and his National Redemption Council (NRC) launched Ghana’s most popular food programme.

The aim of “Operation Feed Yourself” (OFY) was to make Ghana self-sufficient in food supply in order to break with the colonial past and correct the “image of a beggar nation”.

Hon. Osei Assibey said in order to avoid hunger and sustain the agric sector, those in the city must do back yard garden because of unavailability of lands in the city for farming purposes.

“About 90% land in Kumasi has been used for infrastructural purposes, and now left with on 10%. Houses in the city have small spaces and these spaces can be converted into backyard gardens, so people must go back to “Operation Feed Yourself” brought by former Head of State Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong in 1972. This project helped a lot people in food supply, without relying on others, why can’t we also adapt this laudable project to benefits us,” he stated.

He noted that apart from making the residents self reliant and sufficient in food supply, it saves money.

“As we launch the operation ‘Keep the City Clean and Green’, we also urge you to adopt the ‘Operation Feed Yourself’ and this will help you to save money by not using money to buy from the market. Apart from this, you will get healthy foods as the crops are all planted and harvested by you without using any unapproved chemicals,” he added.

The Kumasi Mayor also pledged the government’s commitment to make the agric sector a lucrative venture by providing incentives that will entice more people, especially the youth, into farming.

“If we are to entice the youth into farming, the government is ready to support you by giving you fertilizers to enrich the depleted lands by subsidizing them by 50%, the remaining 50%, farmers are to pay 25% upfront upon receipt of inputs and the remaining 25% after harvest,” he added.

On the planting for ‘Food and Jobs’ policy, Hon. Osei Assibey said “the aim of this policy is to increase agric production, ensure sustainable food supply at cheaper prices, as well as creating jobs for the teaming youth and to export the surplus for foreign exchange”.

The overall Best Farmer for the Kumasi Metro, a 40 year old Director for Shamo Farms and Fishing Enterprise, Maxwell Kwaku Asankoma, affectionately called Shamo, appealed to the government to create an enabled environment that will allow farmers to access loans at low interest rates at the banks to expand their businesses.