By Lawrencia Akoto Frempong
Ningo, Nov. 10, GNA – The Ningo-Prampram Municipal Assembly has celebrated the 40th National Farmer’s Day, honouring nine farmers and fishers in the area for their contribution to the food basket of the country.
Mr Raman Agbo was adjudged the best farmer of the municipality and was awarded items including a tricycle, television, tabletop refrigerator, and fertilisers.
The celebration was on the theme: “Building Climate-Resilient Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security”.
Al-Latiff Tetteh Amanor, the Ningo-Prampram Municipal Chief Executive (DCE), noted that agriculture in the district had seen innovative interventions, new solutions, and scientific approaches to issues under the current New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) government.
Mr Amanor explained that the farmer’s day celebration was initiated to honour the noble profession of farming, which had been there throughout the existence of man, adding that the profession had proved to be the most useful and played a vital contribution to the world, especially Ghana’s food security and economic growth.
He mentioned that the country acknowledged the challenges posed by climate change to the agricultural sector, which affected crop yields, soil fertility, water availability, and rising temperatures, with unpredictable rainfall patterns threatening food security
He added that to combat climate change, farmers must adopt climate-resilient agricultural practices, as such practices assure the municipality and the country of continuous cultivation and harvest of crops, healthy livestock, and economic stability.
“Practices such as climate-smart agriculture, irrigation and water management, soil management, and technology adoption, among others, help build climate resilient agriculture,” he said.
Mr Amanor urged farmers to ensure sustainable food security by practicing crop rotation, adopting agroforestry, integrating livestock and crops, and improving the supply chains to reduce post-harvest food losses.
He revealed that a number of youth were recently trained in aquaculture, during which over 5,000 fingerlings of catfish were distributed to the participants.
Mr Prince Ofori Boateng, the Ningo-Prampram Municipal Director of Agriculture, noted that the assembly received a total number of 1,203 NPK fertilisers, 495 urea, and 645 kg of maize seeds, which were distributed to 415 farmers within the area as part of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s response to challenges that faced the country through the Planting for Food and Jobs phase 2 (PFJ 2).
He noted that the district currently has a total population of 87,442 livestock, adding that its poultry production was one of the best in the Greater Accra region.
He said the municipality over the years faced some challenges, including losing agricultural lands to estate developers, illegal sand winning leading to the destruction of arable lands, the collapse of the Dawa dam, and the long seasonal dry spell, among others.
The agricultural director added that the assembly had put measures in place to address such issues, especially the illegal sand-winning activities, indicating that going forward, the assembly would organise extensive stakeholder engagement with landowners and others to help promote agriculture in the district.
He said, “Although land owners have the rights to sell some of their lands, they should think about the future because agriculture would secure the future in terms of food, so if you intend to sell 10,000 acres of lands, we would plead with you to sell 5,000 acres, and once the assembly earmarks areas for agriculture purposes, the people should corporate.”
He also encouraged farmers to practice crop rotation, assuring them of the assembly’s support to develop the sector, and also appealed to the chiefs and elders of Ningo-Prampram to continue to offer their unflinching support to the assembly towards the growth of the agricultural sector.
GNA