Farmers in the Gushegu District in the Northern Region have commended the government for the ‘planting for food and jobs policy’ as they record bumper harvest.
They were full of praises for the government for the initiative and mentioned that they recorded a high increase in their harvest.
A farmer, Mahama Osman, who spoke to DAILY GUIDE, revealed that he recorded the greatest harvest of his farm produce since he started as a farmer and attributed the feat to the policy which is providing them with quality extension services.
According to him, he was producing three to four bags of soybeans from his farm but the inception of the ‘planting for food and jobs’ has made it possible for him to harvest seven bags of soybeans on the same size of farm land, adding that there was efficient and effective fertilizers provided by the government at a subsidized fee.
“In previous years, getting the fertilizers for the pre and post-harvest were a challenge and it affected production negatively,” Mahama Osman mentioned.
For the main challenges facing farmers in the district, he said, “There are no tractors in the district which makes it difficult and expensive for farmers as part of preparation for farming. The private tractor owners charge GH?60 to plough an acre of land, a cost which is relatively unbearable.”
He said farmers are calling on the government to provide them with tractors and harvesters in the district at subsidized fees and they will have the capacity to produce more.
The Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, who was on tour of the region, assured farmers of the government’s commitments to helping them to get the best from their farms.
FROM Eric Kombat, Gushegu, NR