Bonkrom (E/R),- Mr Evan Kyei Ntiri, the Kwahu Afram Plains South District Chief Executive has called on Ghanaians to patronize local dishes derived from crops grown in Ghana to provide the much-needed markets to farmers and agribusiness operators.
This, he said would help to improve the standard of living of farmers and also increase their income earnings.
Mr Ntiri was speaking during the 37th National Farmers Day celebration held at Bonkrom in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District.
Speaking on the theme: ’Planting for Food and Jobs- Consolidating Food Systems in Ghana’, he said foreign foods and products such as polished imported rice, meat products, sweets, and fats posed a threat to the health of consumers.
He said the government had the welfare of farmers at heart that is why it introduced initiatives such as the ‘Planting for food and Jobs’, Planting for Export and Rural Development’, Rearing for Food and Jobs’, programs among others.
For the success of the interventions, the assembly through the Agricultural Department had distributed hybrid seed maize, seed rice, bags of fertilizers, and litres of organic fertilizers to farmers to enable them to increase their production.
He said over 2,000 farmers in the district have benefitted from the government’s interventions and called on other farmers who have not yet registered to get registered.
Mr Ntiri said the District was also particular about the issues of Fulani Headmen especially during the harmattan season and advised cattle owners to confine their animals to help avoid unnecessary tension between crop farmers and cattle rearers.
He cautioned that farmers who go contrary to the assembly by-laws which had already been introduced on livestock owners would be dealt with accordingly.
“As we enter into the dry season, we need to prevent the annual bushfires to save our environment”, he noted.
He said the assembly had plans to provide incentives to any chief who would put in stringent measures to prevent annual bushfires in their communities.
This, he added would help to minimize bushfires during the harmattan.
Mr Moses Bamfo, the District Agricultural Director also advised farmers to form vibrant groups to enable them to have financial support from the government, other Non- Governmental Organizations, and institutions.
He, therefore, appealed to farmers to work closely with the district Agricultural Extension Agents to enable them to benefit from Government agricultural flagship programmes.
The assembly rewarded 20 farmers for their hard work and presented to them tricycles, knapsack machines, televisions, agrochemicals, bars of soap, tabletop fridges, cutlasses, bicycles, certificates, and a tricycle.
Source: Ghana News Agency
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