FARMERS in the Northern Region have been given the opportunity to contribute meaningfully towards the cultivation of quality local rice and enhance its production levels through a programme known as the Emergency Rice Initiative (ERI).
Agriculturists in the region have described the initiative as a timely intervention in view of recent price hikes of imported rice due to a number of factors.
The factors include the depreciation in the value of the cedi against the dollar and the high interest rates on bank loans granted to importers of rice.
It is also expected that if the ERI is successful, it would curb the importation of rice and rather boost local rice production in northern Ghana in particular and the country at large.
As part of the ERI, a seed fair was recently organised at Fuu in the East Gonja District for beneficiaries of the programme who are mainly small scale farmers.
It is heartwarming to note that 1,630 farmers in the region are benefiting from the two-year ERI programme and are contributing towards its successful implementation.
A projected 10,000 rice farmers identified as those who suffered losses due to drought last year. are expected to benefit from the ERI.
Under the initiative, farmers’ access to such improved rice seeds as GR-18 and Jasmine 85, has been enhanced while 12 kilogrammes of fertilisers per half an acre of farm land have been provided to each of the beneficiaries.
The beneficiary farmers would also undergo training on integrated rice management technology in addition to listening to and watching rural radio and television broadcasts on improved rice technologies to improve on their rice production techniques.
As part of the initiative, 24 demonstration farms to be located at the beneficiary farming communities in the region would be facilitated by the implementers of the ERI.
The beneficiaries have, however, been categorised into viable and vulnerable farmers. The viable farmers are expected to pay half the cost of both the seeds and fertilisers while the vulnerable ones would enjoy such facilities free-of-charge.
It is significant to note that during an interaction with beneficiary farmers at the seed fair at Fuu, they pointed out to the facilitators of the programme that all farmers in the northern Ghana were vulnerable and that they should be allowed to enjoy the facilities under the vulnerable category.
The initiative is being implemented in four West African countries, namely Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding the programme at a cost of $5 million.
It was the brain child of the African Rice Centre in Benin, the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the Centre for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development Services (IFDC). Other partners in the implementation of the ERI include the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Ghana Agro Input Dealers Association (GAIDA).
It is envisaged that in the next two years, a total of 30,000 tonnes of rice paddy will be produced by the beneficiary four West African countries.
Statistics at the Northern Regional Offices of the MoFA, shows that the Northern Region produced 105,496 tonnes of rice during the 2008 cropping season but the figure is expected to increase significantly over the next two years if beneficiary farmers of the ERI programme remained committed to the objectives of the initiative.
The 2007 regional total average production figures for rice per hectare for instance was 1.70 tonnes. It is worthy to note that with the new initiative, the regional total average of rice production will increase significantly in the years ahead and thereby enhance food security in northern Ghana.
The acting Director of the CSIR-SARI, Dr Stephen Nutsugah stated that the ERI was a participatory programme where rice farmers were expected to share their experiences with scientists and agricultural extension officers.
Dr Nutsugah who is also the National Coordinator of the ERI programme, said in the course of the cropping season, experts would visit the various farms of the beneficiary farmers to offer technical advice to them.
A Senior Research Fellow at the IFDC, Dr Wilson Dogbe stated that the initiative would bring inputs closer to the doorsteps of rice farmers.
The Regional Director of Food and Agriculture, Mr Sylvester Adongo, mentioned low patronage of improved seeds by farmers and inefficient marketing of certified seeds by stakeholders as some of the challenges affecting the quest for increased production in food crops.
The East Gonja District Director of Food and Agriculture, Mr Robert Akologo observed that the seed fair for farmers at Fuu was a timely intervention and relevant, considering the fact that this year’s farming season was about to begin.
He explained that under the ERI, each beneficiary farmer was expected to produce 10 bags of quality paddy rice per half an acre of land.
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