Apatrapa (Ash), Dec. 03, GNA – Mr Richmond Agyenim Boateng, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Kwadaso, has urged women in the area to venture into agriculture.
He said the involvement of women would help increase agricultural productivity at all levels of the value chain in the Municipality.
Mr Agyenim Boateng said it was time for coordinated actions to ensure gender sensitivity and equitable distribution of resources to strengthen women’s contribution in the agricultural value chain and boost productivity in the sector.
He made the call at the 37th edition of the National Farmers Day celebration at Apatrapa, in the Kwadaso Municipality.
The day held on the theme, “Planting for Food and Jobs – Consolidating Ghana’s Food System”, brought together a large number of farmers, traditional rulers, Assembly Members, Educationists, and the general public.
Thirteen farmers were awarded at the ceremony.
They received fridges, wellington boots, sprayers, fertilizers, and certificates.
The overall Municipal best farmer award went to Mr. Kofi Appiah, a vegetable and livestock farmer and also, the chairman of the Vegetable Farmers Association in the Kwadaso Municipality.
For his award, he received a tricycle (Aboboyaa), Knapsack sprayer, Wellington boots, and a certificate, among others.
Mr Agyenim Boateng said the Planting for food and jobs programme had five implementation modules; Planting for food crops, Planting for Export and Rural Development, Rearing for food and jobs, and Agriculture mechanization service, aimed at hastening the strengthening of the food systems in Ghana.
Touching on achievement in the municipality on the government’s flagship programme, planting for food and jobs, he said the municipality targeted 2,000 farmers by the end of the year.
However, they were able to reach 3,056 farmers, consisting of 2,452 males and 604 females, adding that these farmers had since the onset of the program benefited from various NPK and Urea fertilizers at subsidized prices.
Mr Agyenim Boateng added that transformation from subsistence farming practices to commercial farming had increased from 32 per cent in 2020 to 38 per cent in the year 2021.
As part of the government’s effort to provide alternative livelihood for farmers, the Municipality through the Department of Agriculture, had equipped substantial farmers, mostly women, in other alternative livelihood programmes, such as soap making, antiseptics, and hand sanitizers through training.
The MCE commended the awardees and all farmers in the area and country at large for working tirelessly to feed the entire nation.
Dr Kingsley Nyarko, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwadaso, said the government led by the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, had embarked on a rigorous agricultural transformation agenda since the year 2017.
He commended the farmers in the area for living beyond the distraction of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unpredictable rainy season, and climate change issues among other challenges that affected their business.
Dr Nyarko observed that agriculture had been the backbone of Ghana for ages and still possessed a great potential to employ the youth and generate a lot of revenue.
He advised the youth to also venture into agriculture to help create employment for themselves, saying that agriculture was not the preserve of the aged.
The MP, therefore, admonished the youth, particularly graduates clamouring for white colour jobs, to venture into the sector as it had become more attractive in the wake of the Planting for food and job policy.
Mr Appiah, in his address after receiving his award, advised the youth to find something to do for themselves and not to wait on the government for non-existing jobs.
GNA