By Bajin D. Pobia
Lawra (UWR), Oct. 14, GNA-The Lawra Naa, Naa Puowele Karbo III, the Paramount Chief of the Lawra Traditional Area, has suggested the establishment of climate change agriculture and food security platforms in all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
This, he said, should form grassroots structures to continuously sensitise the people on climate change and smart agricultural practices to enhance agricultural productivity.
He said there was need for a sustainable approach to tackle the negative impact of climate change on agriculture and introduce smart agricultural practices.
Naa Karbo gave the suggestion during the celebration of this year’s Kobine Festival of the Chiefs and People of the Lawra Traditional Area held in Lawra, to give thanks to God and the ancestors for a successful end of the year, and to welcome another farming season, with the expectation of a good harvest.
The festival was on the theme: “Sustaining our Agricultural Productivity in Post COVID-19 Challenges and Opportunities” and aimed to encourage farmers to reflect on the critical challenges as well as opportunities within the agricultural sector.
Naa Karbo recommended the revival of the Agricultural Mechanisation Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and for the establishment of Mechanisation Centres in all districts across the country.
This, he explained, could be adequately equipped with a critical mass of appropriate farm equipment such as tractors, harvesters, power tillers, and other appropriate labor-saving tools for farmers to hire at reasonable prices.
The Lawra Naa said for Ghana to exploit the agricultural potential to the maximum in her economic transformation, there was the need to rebrand and prioritise agriculture and the agro-industry to make them attractive as a viable and useful business venture to the youth.
“We should modernise our agriculture through mechanisation and new technologies, introduce small-scale irrigation systems and commercial crops such as butternut squash and vegetables to attract the youth to consider agriculture as a lifetime beneficial enterprise,” he said.
Naa Karbo urged the government not to relent in its efforts but to scale up its flagship programmes such as the “Planting for Food and Jobs”, “One Village, One Dam”, “One District, One Factory” and “Planting for Export and Rural Development” to help sustain the agricultural sector.
GNA