USAID provides 52 farmers with maize shellers
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided 52 farmers in the three northern regions with maize shellers and multipurpose crop thrashers to assist them in their farming activities.
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The equipment formed part of efforts under the USAID’s Feed the Future (FTF) Ghana- Agricultural Technology Transfer (ATT) project to assist farmers in northern Ghana to adopt new agricultural technologies and mechanisation to increase their yields and income. It is expected that the increase in yield would help reduce poverty, and enable the country achieve food security.
Under the package, the farmers who are into the cultivation of rice, maize and soya beans were made to bear 30 per cent of the cost of the equipment, while the USAID bore the remaining 70 per cent.
The project/support
Speaking at the handing over ceremony in Tamale last Friday, the Chief of Party (COP) of the FTF-USAID-ATT project, Mr Mike Dockrey, said the overall objective of the project is to assist farmers in northern Ghana to embrace agricultural mechanisation and modern methods of farming to enhance their productivity and incomes.
He said apart from assisting farmers with agricultural machinery to be efficient and reduce the drudgery, the project had also provided farmers in the project beneficiary regions with improved seeds and fertilisers to boost their production thereby increasing their incomes and reducing poverty.
Mr Docrey said the FTF-USAID-ATT project would continue to support farmers in the three northern regions with modern technologies to enable the country to achieve food security and make farming less laborious.
The Grants Manager of FTF-USAID-ATT, Mrs Blessing Kemakolam, said the decision to make the farmers bear the 30 per cent cost of the equipment was to help them become the owners of the machines.
She urged the farmers to make them available on a rental basis to other farmers and also observe the maintenance schedule to extend their lifespan.
The Operations Manager of Agromart, suppliers of the equipment, Mr Dennis Apolta, said the multipurpose crop thrasher could thrash 50 maxibags of any cereal crop per hour, and the small size, 30 maxibags per hour.
On behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr Sumani Abdul Karim thanked the USAID for the support and said it would go a long way to enhance their farming activities.
