The Atebubu-Amantin municipal office of the Department of Agriculture has engaged stakeholders on the phase 2 of the ‘planting for food and jobs’ farmer registration exercise in Atebubu.
Welcoming participants, the municipal director of agriculture Mr. Bright Atta Boateng said the sensitization exercise has been necessitated by some changes to the current 5-year phase.
A deputy coordinating director at the Atebubu-Amantin municipal assembly, Mr. Godwin Gyamerah stood in for the municipal chief executive. He said to address some bottlenecks encountered during the previous phase, government will guarantee to provide all the necessary inputs to farmers under the phase 2 through selected aggregators, adding that all a farmer will need is land.
Mr. Yaw Gyarko the municipal development officer for extension, said government is moving away from subsidy to input credit to deal with smuggling of subsidized fertilizers and the lack of funds to access inputs on the part of farmers.
He said all inputs will be supplied to farmers through input dealers, whiles beneficiaries will be expected to pay back with their produce at pre-determined prices.
Mr. Gyarko indicated that a total of ten crops grouped under grains and legumes, vegetables, plantains, roots, and tubers together with the production of broiler chickens will be prioritized. The objective is to ensure food availability, promote import substitution and export, create jobs and ensure food security and resilience.
The Bono East regional director of the Department of Agriculture Mr. James Adu who helped address some issues bothering the minds of participants. He recalled a number of similar initiatives in the past aimed at assisting farmers to increase agricultural production, but which did not succeed because beneficiaries failed to pay back credit extended to them. He urged farmers to be truthful this time round to ensure the sustainability of the programme.
Participants were drawn from farmers groups, agro input dealers, assembly members, the Ghana National Fire Service, the municipal assembly and the media.