The Atiwa East Agriculture Department has held its Annual Performance Review at Anyinam in the Eastern Region to discuss the successes chalked and challenges encountered during the year under review.

Mr Samuel Ofosu, the District Agriculture Director, said although there were some hitches in the Department’s activities, it was able to make headway in terms of rendering services to farmers.

He said under the Government's Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) Programme, the District registered 963 framers who benefitted from 2,665 maize and 3,000 rice seedlings distributed to them for free.

They were also provided with pepper, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, cucumber and onion seedlings.

Mr Ofosu said aside the seedlings, fertilizers were also supplied to beneficiaries adding that the District received a total of 1,900kg of NPK and 300kg of Urea.

He said the Government's Special Rice Initiative also saw massive patronage as 97 farmers benefitted from it and still registering more onto the programme.

He said more than 118 farmers had benefitted from the 'Rearing for Food and Jobs, where the District received 1,118 cockerels that were distributed to farmers in 13 communities.

Mr Ofosu said 300 farmers benefited from the 'Planting for Export and Rural Development' where 4,000 cocoa seedlings were distributed to them for free.

The Department also embarked on a number of activities such as the use of drones to spray farms and introduction of an organic-based agro chemical known as 'AV5055' to farmers to modernise agriculture.

The new technology was introduced by a group of researchers and businessmen aimed at making rice seeds unattractive to rice-eating birds as a means of protecting the farms.

Mr Ofosu mentioned some of the challenges to include the ready market for the PFJ beneficiaries, inadequate motorbikes, late arrival of subsidised fertilizers, and staff farmer ratio.

He appealed to the Government to go to their aid to ensure effective monitoring and supervision.