Govt urged to establish solar-powered agro-processing industries, irrigation schemes
The government has been urged to prioritise the establishment of solar-powered agro-processing industries, small-scale irrigation schemes in farming communities and support farmers with ergonomic farm machinery to achieve food sufficiency and nutrition.
The Banda District Director of Agriculture, Angel-Mmafiik Ayarick, who made the call, further urged the government to adequately resource the agricultural departments with the necessary logistics to ensure efficient service delivery and sustainable agricultural development.
Mrs Ayarick, who was speaking at the district celebration of the 41st National Farmers' Day at Dorbor in the Bono Region last Friday, specifically appealed for motorbikes and improved insurance policies for field officers.
She urged the government to establish clear structures that would bridge administrative gaps between the District Department of Agriculture and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).
Awards
At the awards, a 42-year-old farmer, Fred Kwadwo Sie, was crowned the overall best district farmer.
He has 110 acres of cashew plantation and two acres of coconut and orange farms.
He is also into commercial production of food crops such as maize, yam, cassava, vegetables and livestock farming.
Mr Sie received a tricycle, bags of fertilisers, Wellington boots and machetes as his prize.
Other award winners are Enock Kwadwo, Best Livestock Farmer, Comfort Kyeremaa, Best Female Farmer, Mathias Yaganuma, Best Agriculture Extension Agent and Nana Osei Benjamin, Best Cashew Farmer.
The rest are Gabriel Mensah, Best Disability farmer, Elijah Chamba, Best Youth Farmer, and Samuel Kwadwo Gyaw, Best Crops Farmer, while Gbao Junior High School (JHS) won Best JHS in agriculture and Sanwa/Makala D/A Primary won the Best primary school in agriculture.
Crops wilt
Mrs Ayarick said the 2025 crop season experienced unfavourable weather conditions which left farmers in anguish and despair.
She said in the season, most farmers had their crops wilted, stunted amidst pest and disease infestation and dry spells due to extreme drought.
Smart agriculture
In that regard, the Banda District Chief Executive (DCE), Peter Dongi, urged farmers to embrace smart agricultural solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change and other environmental uncertainties.
"Embracing smart agricultural solutions is crucial not only for enhancing food security but also for building resilience in the face of environmental uncertainties," he said.
Mr Dongi underscored the need for the country to adopt technologies and innovations tailored to the specific needs of farmers in order to help them make informed decisions and maximise productivity.
He encouraged farmers to also adopt agroforestry, intercropping, and organic farming methods that enhanced biodiversity and soil health.
Mr Dongi explained that those practices promoted resilience to climate variability and contributed to higher and sustainable yields.
On the "Nkoko Nketenkete" programme, he said the district had received 5,000 birds for distribution to help improve household incomes and enhance local poultry production.
Bemoan
The 2024 Best District farmer, Nana Sie Memee, bemoaned the lack of farm inputs for farmers and appealed to the government to support farmers to increase productivity.
He also called on the government to invest in irrigation farming to promote all-year-round farming and prevent youth migration in the area.
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