Farmers in the Sissala West district of the Upper West Region have been encouraged to rear more animals to supplement crop production in the area.

More than 90 per cent of inhabitants resort to seasonal crop production as their source of livelihood in the district.

Hundreds of thousands of cattle are brought into the Sissala West district from neighbouring Burkina Faso for water and pastures during dry season.

The low animal production has resulted in a situation where many people cross over to Burkina Faso to buy animals when they could equally rear them in abundance in the district where there is enough shrub for grazing.

It is against this background that the department of agriculture in the Sissala West district has organized a one-day training of farmers on housing, feeding and disease identification and treatment in livestock keeping in the area.

This is aimed at boosting livestock production in the District and the region at large.

The Sissala West District Chief Executive Bako Zakaria Mohammed addressing the farmers said the coming in of Burkina Faso herdsmen means that the residents in the Sissala West district can rear better than them if they want to move into animal production.



"We will not cross over to Burkina for our animals to graze or water because we have everything but it is the mindset".

Upper West Regional livestock officer Rashid Ibrahim said the Burkinabes come into the district with their livestock because they see the area has abundant feed for their animals and that the people here are seen as not serious with animal production.

"That is why we are here to take them through some training on disease and feed to help improve production".