Skip to main content

Agric Minister Praises Rice Farmers In Upper East Region

 


The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has disclosed that the government was talking to some African development banks for funds to support rice farming in the Upper East Region.

The sector Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, made the disclosure when he interacted with rice farmers at Gbedemgblisi in the Upper West region, as part of his tour in the northern part of the country.

While commending the rice farmers, he stressed that Upper East holds loads of potential for rice production.

We have noticed that this region [referring to Upper East] is a potential region for rice production as valleys are developed for rice farming,” he said.

He was upbeat that Ghana will become the rice production centre in the whole of the West African Sub-region.

On that score, Dr. Afriyie Akoto indicated that a bill had been sent to Parliament for a committee to be set up to reward in particular rice farmers in the Upper East.

However, he pleaded with the farmers to cooperate with the government to help stop illegal exportation of food to neighbouring countries.

Speaking on behalf of the Chief of Gbedemgbilisi, John Amogili, thanked the minister for the visit, adding that “your quest to develop here has really helped provide jobs for my people—we have over 1,000 workers working in the valleys.

He was happy to assert that currently the youth in Gbedemgbilis do not migrate to other towns to seek for jobs “because there are jobs here.”

He also noted that social vices in the community have reduced drastically.

For the rice farmers, they were very elated at the minister’s visit. However, they lamented that they were confronted with problems such as lack of a motorable roads, irrigation facilities, warehouses to store foodstuff.

From Gbedemgbilis, the Dr. Afriyie Akoto visited another rice factory at Fumbisi—Achaabwen Enterprise (Masim Rice). The Operations Manager of Achaabwen Enterprise, John Mensah Ganyaglo, bemoaned that they struggle to get raw materials to feed the factory, adding further that there was a lack of a ready market for their produce.

Dr. Afriyie Akoto rounded up the day by addressing a durbar of staff members of the ministry in the region and other stakeholders at the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council

He urged the rice farmers to switch to organic fertilisers, adding that “in the Savannah areas you could get plenty manure from livestock.”

I’ll entreat my directors to teach farmers how to use organic fertilisers. I’m really impressed with the yields despite the challenges you’ve been facing,” he expressed.

The minister told the gathering about the ban on exportation of food to Ghana’s neighboring countries.

“…but we keep hearing of smuggling of food, and this is really worrying,” the minister bemoaned.

I’ll entreat your all to report any form of such actions to the authorities. If they want their farmers to produce surpluses they should copy Planting for Food and Jobs. I plead with you to cooperate with the authorities to protect whatever is left in the country,” Dr. Afriyie Akoto pleaded.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Nestlé Ghana Limited Wins Overall Best Industrial Company Of The Year at 13th AGI Industry & Quality Awards

  Nestlé Ghana Limited has been honored with four prestigious awards at the 13th Association of Ghana Industry and Quality Awards ceremony. The event, held in an esteemed setting, gathered prominent figures from Ghana’s industrial sector. Amidst the anticipation, Nestlé Ghana emerged as one of the evening’s notable winners, securing accolades in several key categories. This recognition underscores Nestlé Ghana’s relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation, marking a significant milestone that highlights the company’s substantial contributions to the manufacturing industry in Ghana. Nestlé Ghana's exceptional performance was acknowledged with the following awards: Overall Best National Quality Award, Diamond Category (Food) Overall Best Practices in Sustainable Manufacturing Best Company (Food Sector) Overall Industrial Company of the Year, affirming its status as a leader not only within the food sector but also across Ghana's entire industrial landscape. This success is a ...

Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mine tops 2024 Sustainability & Social Investment Awards

 AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine has confirmed its status as sustainability champions by sweeping nine awards, the most won by a company at the 2024 Sustainability & Social Investment Awards (SSI) held at Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra. The feat comes on the heels of a dominant performance in last year's event where AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine swept seven awards. The SSI Awards organised by Ianmatsun Global Services recognizes the most outstanding sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives in the country and beyond as well as the best teams and individuals who brought them to life. This year's event, which was the 8th edition, was under the theme "Climate Action Now: Accelerating Decarbonization and Building Resilience". The awards won by AngloGold Ashanti on the night include SSI Company of the Year, Best Company in Women Empowerment (project), SSI Company of the Year ( Environment), Best Co...

Zoomlion Advocates Community & Gender inclusive waste management for Climate Action at COP 29

 Africa's waste management giant, Zoomlion Ghana Limited has advocated for an integrated approach to waste management that considers the interest of community members, women and vulnerable groups. James Deku, a Communications Officer of Zoomlion Ghana Limited made this call at the 29th session of the Conference Of Parties (COP 29) of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) at Azerbaijan, Baku whiles speaking on the topic "Community-Driven and Gender Inclusive approaches to waste management for Climate Action ". He said the waste sector is a major contributor of methane emissions which is a potent greenhouse gas causing climate change hence the need to manage waste in a manner that considers the interest of all stakeholders. Zoomlion's waste management model is designed and operated in a manner that considers the interest of all stakeholders. Through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, local authorities engage community members in clea...