Accra: Mr Eric Opoku, Minister of Food and Agriculture, has announced that the government will establish Farmer Services Centres across the nation to enhance access to agricultural machinery and services.
According to Ghana News Agency, a statement from the Ministry indicated that this initiative is part of a broader strategy to support farmers and boost agricultural production.
The announcement was made during a sod-cutting ceremony for the first Farmer Services Centre at Takoratwene in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District. Mr Opoku highlighted that the centres are designed to provide mechanisation services to farmers, aiming to reduce their dependence on manual labour, thereby making farming a more viable economic activity.
The government plans to launch 50 centres in the initial phase of the project. Mr Opoku encouraged farmers to form cooperatives to improve their access to credit and essential services. He also urged farmers to register under the 'Akuafo Anidaso' platform, which will help in collating data into a centralized system for fair distribution of services.
Additionally, the government has started the development of two irrigation schemes in the Afram Plains to facilitate year-round farming. One of these projects, located in Kunadu, will irrigate approximately 900 hectares of farmland and is expected to be completed in seven to nine months.
Mr Opoku also mentioned that the government is working to tackle post-harvest losses and enhance market access. A collaboration with African Golden Foods, a UK-based company, aims to establish a processing factory in the region to purchase and process crops from local farmers.
Regarding maize imports, the Minister affirmed that the government has not issued permits for imports and will focus on purchasing locally produced maize. To address challenges in the poultry sector, including an egg glut, the President has instructed the Ministry of Education to incorporate eggs into the School Feeding Programme to help absorb the surplus.
The Ministry is actively implementing measures to support farmers and elevate production levels in the agricultural sector.