General News of Monday, 17 December 2018

Source: thepublisheronline.com

Make farming compulsory for national service personnel

A cocoa farmer working on his crop A cocoa farmer working on his crop

Overall Best Farmer at the Kpone Katamanso Municipal Assembly (KKMA) in the Greater Accra Region has charged government to make farming compulsory for all National Service personnel in the country.

Speaking at an event to honour gallant farmers and fisher folks in the area, Mr. Kwame Awuku Adu, said this step, if adopted by government, will greatly increase the prospects of the Agricultural sector and make farming attractive to the youth.

Not only will this step, garner resources for the state, it will also help shape the interest of the youth to embrace farming as a profession, the farmer said.

“All national service personnel should go into farming not to work in the banks and other sectors of government. After one year, if you are interested, you stay in there, if you are not you branch,” Mr. Adu noted.

He continued: “This is my heart desire…if you are patient and not chasing after money, you will love farming because farming takes time, you need to put the seed in the ground and water for a long time before it matures.”

Contrary to views that farmers are poor, Mr. Adu who is also the Managing Director of Delawin Farms Ltd, said, there is a lot of money in farming if the farmer attaches passion and patience to the business.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Solomon Tetteh Appiah, Chief of Appolonia, Nii Nuertey Amobi II, chiefs and elders, Municipal Agric Director, Assembly members in the municipality and other personalities in the municipality were present to commemorate the anniversary.

The MCE for KKMA, Mr. Tetteh Appiah reiterated the importance of Agriculture in a country adding that, Food production is the backbone of the economy.

In order to improve agriculture in Ghana, the MCE said Government is in the process of constructing 570 dams in the three Northern regions.

He also mentioned that close to $1billion had been invested in the road infrastructure under the Sinohydro intervention, next year.

“Government is initiating the construction of over 50 warehouses under the Ghana National Buffer Stock Company to enhance the storage of agriculture produce,” he said.

Awards

The overall District Best Farmer received a motor tricycle, bicycle, cocoa powder, agro chemicals, a weed sprayer, wellington boots and pieces of cutlass. The rest of the farmers also received similar items.