The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) through the Ghana Agriculture Sector Investment Program (GASIP) has distributed some forty-eight (48) Power Tillers to unionize rice farmers in the Ketu North Municipal of the Volta region.
At a short handing over ceremony held at Dzodze, the National Programme Co-ordinator of GASIP, Mr.Klutsey Kudomor said the distribution was part of the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) program.
“Government is committed to expanding the Planting for Food and Jobs program to include every single person or group involved in any sort of farming; the reason for which we are distributing this Tillers today’ he said.
The Power Tillers which were sourced through a sponsorship by GASIP were given to members of the Ghana Rice Interprofessional Body (GRIB) on hire purchase basis. The farmers are required to pay for the Tillers with their farm produce over a period of two farming seasons.
Receiving the Tillers on behalf of the farmers, the President of GRIB, Nana Adjie Aryee II thanked GASIP and government for responding to the plea of smallholder farmers. He added ‘we want to believe this is just the beginning of great things to come. It is our prayer that once this Tillers are put to good use, government will support us with combine harvesters and other relevant farming equipment.
Present at the ceremony were Mr. Anthony Avorgbedor and Mr. Franklin Agbove
Municipal Chief Executive and Municipal Director of Agric respectively.
On his side Mr. Agbove asked the beneficiaries to put the Tillers to good use and promised to sensitize them on how to maintain the Tillers to ensure maximum efficiency.
By Francis A. Dodzi
