Mustapha Ussif ready to apply fertilizer to the crops
The Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Mustapha Ussif has said that the Service has revived its defunct farming operations with the cultivation of more than one thousand six hundred and fifty (1,650) acres of maize at various locations in the country.
He mentioned 350 acres cultivated at Dawhenya near the national irrigation canal in the Greater Region, 650 acres each at Ejura and Breman in the Brong Ahafo and Central regions respectively.
The Director further disclosed that the NSS has taken delivery of 15,000 day old layer chicks from Holland to be fed into its livestock farms at Nungua, Accra to commence commercial egg production.
The NSS farming project which won public admiration in the past as being a viable project unfortunately was short lived as a result of a number of challenges including effective management of the farms.
“We have learnt our lessons from the past and this time round, we have put adequate measures in place to ensure proper management of the farms and finances so that the ultimate objective of meeting our goals for investing in agricultural module will be achieved,” he stated.
Mr. Mustapha Ussif, who disclosed this to Journalists during a tour of the maize farm at Dawhenya near Tema in the Greater Accra Region last Thursday, indicated that management decision was to revive its farm projects and follow the inspiration they derived from being part of the President’s campaign on “Planting for Food and Jobs” programme.
“As a strategic institution, the president’s campaign is a laudable call to us to mobilize our staff and machinery into cultivating cereals and livestock as part of our effort to generate funds internally while contributing to national food security as well as empowering the young generation with interest in modern agriculture methods under our mandate,” he stated.
The tour was also served as a platform for more than one hundred (100) members of staff from the NSS headquarters – Greater Accra Region and National Service Personnel Association( NASPA) to apply insecticides and fertilizer(Sulphate of Ammonia) on the crops.
Mr. Mustapha Ussif who indicated that control measures on the army worm invasion had led to an out of budget expenditure of GH¢100,000 also appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and agro-based research institutions to help solve the army worm invasion.
He, however, assured of a bumper harvest this season.
By Solomon Ofori