By Eunice Tekie Tei
Anyinam (E/R), March 07, GNA – The Atiwa East District Assembly has provided support schemes to more than 570 local farmers in the district to encourage and assist them in their work in line with the government’s planting for export policy.
Mr Kwabena Panin Nkansah, the District Chief Executive (DCE), told the Ghana News Agency that the government had implemented various initiatives in the district, including providing 312 farmers with oil palm seedlings as part of the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) programme.
Women empowerment has been a key focus, with support provided for women to gain knowledge in various areas such as palm oil production, product standardisation, labelling, packaging, pastries, and local drinks at Akyem Mampong and Tiawa-Subriso.
The DCE said group farmers have also been trained in improved technologies, ranging from the use of hermetic bags for storing maize to the application of fertilizers and group dynamics.
This, Mr Nkansah explained, was an initiative aimed at empowering local farmers with the latest techniques to enhance productivity.
He also noted that to support local rice production in the district, the assembly had organized a forum on the sustainability of ‘Atiwa rice’ and other products for farmers in the district.
The forum served as a platform for discussions on rice production, processing, and marketing, emphasizing the assembly’s commitment to sustaining Atiwa rice production.
He said, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, the assembly was ready to pilot the use of drones to spray farmers for farmers next year.
He said he hoped to increase the production of local rice in the district and therefore encouraged inhabitants, especially the youth, to delve into agriculture to minimize youth unemployment in the area.
GNA