HOHOE FARMERS RECEIVE ASSISTANCE (PAGE 21)

AGRICULTURE investment is beig given a boost in the Hohoe Municipality in the Volta Region to support the peasant farmers increase rice production in the country.
Currently, urgent measures to boost rice production are being taken such as distribution of seeds, fertilisers and other inputs through a credit system to peasant farmers in the area.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and Green Shield Agro-Chemicals, the rice farmers are being pre-financed to ease the challenges they face in the Hohoe Municipality.
According to Efo Kumah Ameyibor, Operations Manager of Green Shield, the farmers identified by MoFA, are given coupons to come to them for their farming inputs. He said, the government had by its subsidies to increase food production, absorbed half the cost of their inputs, including fertilisers.
These fertilisers are N.P.K. and Urea, which has reduced from GH¢ 50.00 to GH¢ 26.00; and Ammonia has been reduced from GH¢ 35.00 to GH¢ 18.00. The rest is Actyra at GH¢ 45.00 but with the coupon, the farmer buys it at GH¢ 25.00.
Mr Ameyibor said with their collaboration, the farmers, some of whom are poor and could not afford the bills would be allowed a grace period of six months, that is ,after harvest in February, 2009, to pay back the subsidised rates.
The Operations Manager named other districts and municipalities that they were extending their operations to as Adaklu-Ayigbe, Ho, Nkwanta, Kpassa, Jasikan, Kpando and Krachi-East.
A female farmer doing 30 acres of maize due to this intervention, Madam Patience Dzigbodi, was grateful for the assistance from the government and Green Shield for absorbing all cost on the inputs, making it possible for her to start the farming season on time.
The Hohoe Municipal Director of the MoFA, Mr Geoffrey Honu, expressed the hope that this year, rice production would be increased since that barrier which prevented farmers from starting their farms as early as possible had been reduced with Green Shield support.
He said farmers had also embraced the NERICA rice project, and had been supplied with seeds.