Afram plains: President John Dramani Mahama, in fulfillment of his campaign promise, on Saturday, cut the sod for the establishment of a Farmer Services Centre at Takoratwene in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District of the Eastern Region. This is part of efforts by the Government to boost agriculture production and to ensure food security in the country.
According to Ghana News Agency, the Farmer Services Centre is a facility equipped with machinery, input, technical, and financial capacity to provide services to farmers within its catchment area. These services include mechanisation for land preparation, input application, harvesting, shelling, and bagging. The Centre will also supply inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, weedicides, and pesticides, as well as provide agronomic extension services to support farmers.
President Mahama announced that the Government intends to establish 50 Farmer Services Centres across the various farming ecological zones of the country, with 11 of the Centres to be established this year. He reiterated that the establishment of a Farmer Services Centre marks the beginning of a strategic national investment in agriculture. This initiative is a practical step towards building a more modern, productive, and resilient agricultural economy, demonstrating confidence in the hard-working farmers of Ghana.
The President emphasized that agriculture remains the backbone of livelihoods for millions of Ghanaians, sustaining households, supporting local economies, supplying raw materials to industry, and underpinning national food security. However, many farmers have faced challenges such as limited access to mechanization services, inadequate storage, weak extension services, and poor market linkages, which have hindered productivity and lowered incomes.
The Government is pursuing a comprehensive agricultural transformation agenda, moving the sector from subsistence to modern commercial production, from vulnerability to resilience, and from low productivity to value addition and competitiveness. The Farmer Services Centre programme is a flagship initiative of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government within this broader agenda, designed to bring essential agricultural services closer to farmers by creating integrated service hubs in key farming regions.
The Centre will offer mechanization services, access to inputs, extension and advisory support, storage and post-harvest handling, market linkages, and farmers training centers, serving as a one-stop service point for registered farmers. The Government plans to establish a total of 50 Farmer Services Centres in key farming industries, starting with 11 centers this year to ensure that farmers everywhere can access the tools they need to succeed.
President Mahama highlighted that the choice of Atakoratwene for the first Centre is strategic, given its unique and strategic role in Ghana's pursuit of food security. The District boasts vast arable lands, strong potential for maize, rice, soybean, and livestock production, year-round water availability for irrigation, and a hard-working and enterprising farming population. The establishment of this Centre at Takoratwene on approximately 12 acres of land is both strategic and timely, positioning it as a vital agricultural growth corridor.