Maize and leguminous crops farmers are planning on increasing production due to anticipation of favourable prices during this year’s farming season.
The Upper West Regional Director of the Department of Agriculture, Emmanuel Sasu Yeboah, disclosed this to the B&FT in an interview in Wa Municipality, Upper West region.
He said that the forecast is premised on high fertility of the soil: “We are better placed than our counterparts in the Sahelian countries due to the available of resources the region possess. The soil fertility in the region is good for other crops like yam, soy beans, millets, among others.
Even though we have the single rainfall pattern, the hot season is also good for the drying of the crops to prevent them from becoming moldy,” he said.
He added that some peasant farmers under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) were able to cultivate a maximum of five acres each due to the subsidy of the inputs while those within the commercial level were also able to cultivate a minimum of 18 acres to over 300 acres each and hope to increase them this season.
He further noted the livestock farming is also doing well in the region and that the Rearing for Food and Job (RFJ) is helping a lot to focus on the upkeep of their livestock.
He therefore called for more support for the youth to engage in the livestock productions for both subsistence and commercial purposes.
Way forward
Mr. Yeboah added that the Department of Agriculture has commenced education on the radio and also with the use of the mobile van to sensitize farmers on the activities to be carried out any time before the farming season begins.
He also encouraged all to engage in backyard gardening to feed their families while government gets the surplus to export for revenue to do other developmental projects.
