ASHANTI TO RECORD LOW MAIZE YIELDS THIS YEAR-MOFA DIRECTOR

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The Ashanti region is likely to record a 30 per cent reduction in maize production this farming season. 

The foreseeable problem is due to the failed rainfall pattern during the main crop season this year and that the rains in the minor season may not be adequate to compensate for the earlier failed rains.

The Ashanti Regional Director of Agriculture, Kwaku Minkah-Fordjuor disclosed this to Ashanti Today on the fringes of the first Ashanti Food Day held at Nsuta in the Sekyere Central district. 

The first Ashanti Food Day coincided with this year’s World Food Day. 

The event was to bring to the fore, how agriculture, as a means of social protection, could be used to silence rural poverty through the initiative of a payment ecosystem for small scale holder farm communities. 

The farmers used the opportunity to showcase what they do best; various food stuffs, animal products and dishes prepared from the produce from their farms.

 The Regional Director of Agriculture explained that farming in the Ashanti region in particular is rains-dependent while the rainfall patter in recent years has been highly unpredictable.

 According to him, any change in the rainfall trend therefore impacts on crop production especially maize. 

Mr. Minkah-Fordjuor noted that a reduction in the maize production output will rather affect poultry production the more for which reason the cost of poultry products are likely to go high next year. 

He stressed again that reduction in maize production may not necessarily cause hunger to the residents of the region since the crop is not the main staple of the people. 

Meanwhile, some farmers in the Ashanti region have also expressed concern about the unpredictable nature of the rains of late. 

They have also raised issues with the lack of marketing for their farm produce leading to huge post-harvest losses. 

Two of such farmers, Alhaji Mohammed Issifu Pangabu of Pee Farms and Madam Lucy Durowaa a mixed farmer at Nsuta who spoke to Ashanti Today urged the state to come out with lasting solutions for such production challenges. 

Alhaji Issifu-Pangabu called on government to invest in mechanized and irrigation dependent farming to guarantee farmers to ensure all year long farming.

 Madam Durowaa, who is also a teacher at the Nsutaman Catholic Senior High School, suggested the establishment of more processing factories and marketing opportunities for the farm produce.


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