CENTRAL GONJA ASSEMBLY TO SET UP FARMERS SERVICE CENTRES (PAGE 40)

THE Central Gonja District Assembly is collaborating with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to establish farmers service centres at vantage points in the district to provide tractor services for farmers.
The measure is to encourage farmers to go into mechanised farming as a strategy to help increase food production in the area.
The Central Gonja District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Issifu Salisu Be-Awuribe, announced this at the assembly’s first ordinary meeting this year at Buipe.
He stressed that the initiative was one of the assembly’s top priorities to modernise agriculture and reduce the drudgery farmers went through in their farming activities.
“Mechanisation will take the centre stage and plans are afoot to increase the number of tractor services to our farmers,” Mr Be-Awuribe stated.
According to the DCE, more fertiliser sales points would be opened in various parts of the district to afford many farmers accessibility to fertilisers.
Mr Be-Awuribe further explained that the government would improve upon the fertiliser subsidisation policy to cover more farmers.
“To reduce the over-reliance on rainfall for agricultural production, we shall ensure that all irrigation schemes in the district which are at standstill would be reactivated at the shortest possible time,” he stated.
The DCE said the Buipe and Yapei irrigation schemes would be fast-tracked to ensure their early completion.
“Despite the importance of agriculture, it is still rudimentary and highly dependent on rainfall although the district is blessed with two great rivers — the Black and White Volta,” he stated.
Touching on rice production in the district, Mr Be-Awuribe announced that plans were far advanced to put the over 2000 acres of Valley Buttoms located at Kusawgu, Juni, Kadegbonto and Jani Kuraa into cultivation.
In the area of livestock development, Mr Be-Awuribe said more of the youth in the district would be encouraged to enter veterinary training colleges and come back to serve the farmers.
“We shall also encourage the youth to keep improved breeds of various livestock through public education and demonstration farms,” he added.