By Mohammed Balu
Duwie, (UW/R), Sept. 11, GNA – Kuoro Nashiru Kanwei, the Chief of Duwie, a community in the Sissala West District has commended `Chi- Gaba’ a farmer-based organization for the community’s involvement in this year’s maize production.
Kuoro Nashiru who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Naska Agribusiness said the support made it possible for farmers to cultivate over 400 acres of maize whilst additional 600 acres were shared among 78 out growers from the Duwie and other nearby communities.
He has, therefore, commended his partners, and promised that with sustained support, his out-grower scheme could increase the maize stock well enough to feed the nation and beyond as the community was joyous of the Chi-Gaba intervention.
Kuoro Nashiru was speaking at the weekend when Newage and Chi-Gaba held a Farm Show at Duwie for farmers, chiefs and other stakeholders in the agricultural value chain.
The scheme, which is established to support rural smallholder farmers with inputs on credit as well as agronomic support services and a ready market for farmers is working with hundreds of farmers within the Sissala enclave.
Despite the crisis in the agricultural value chain, Chi-Gaba has supported up to 5,000 acres of maize and 2,000 acres of Soya bean production. According to him the project is expected to produce about 250,000 and 36,000 bags of maize and soya respectively.
Mr. Asare Ohene Badiako, the Project Coordinator of Chi- GABA, indicated that this was the best time farmers needed the support of stakeholders to succeed.
“Even though all Agric-related projects had been hit by the recent global crisis, there is no better time to support farmers than now.
“This is why we did all that was possible to source the right inputs for these farmers,” he stressed.
He emphasised that almost all the prices of agro-inputs had tripled and expressed gratitude to partners such as Newage Agric for assisting with all the required inputs for production this year.
“As you saw on the field, the cobs and their potential yield give us hope for a bumper harvest this year,” he said.
Mr. Mahama Salifu, the Sissala West District Director of Agriculture expressed satisfaction with the crops’ performance in the field.
He said agriculture could not progress without adopting the right technologies and innovations and advised the farmers to be diligent with their work and take good advantage to support schemes like what Chi-Gaba presented.
He also encouraged the farmers to practice crop rotation in order to help them control parasitic weeds like Striga and alternate maize fields with legumes.
Mr. Peter Ampofo, the Country Director of Bayer Crop Science said Bayer was constantly researching and working hard to provide farmers with inputs that will ensure that farming was profitable.
He said the products produced by Bayer were of global standard and that farmers using such products here in Ghana have the potential to compete with other farmers in the rest of the world.
The Country Director of Bayer, the supplier of the Dekalb seeds assured the farmers of their continuous supply of quality seeds of global standards at the doorstep of the farmer.
Madam Ayisha Batong Hor, the Sissala West District Chief Executive said the government welcomed private partnership in farming and urged the farmers to remember to pay back inputs supplied to them by Chi -Gaba to benefit again next year.
Some of the farmers who spoke with the Ghana News Agency called on their partners to ensure farm inputs were released early in the season whilst others commended the initiative by Chi-Gaba as a great platform for learning.
GNA