Wynca farmers showcase success of technology
A field trip was organised to one of the Wynca Sunshine Maize High Yielding Solutions System demonstration farms at Obawale in the Yilo Krobo district in the Eastern Region last Friday to appreciate the enormous success that has been recorded in terms of crop yield.
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The system uses technology that makes it possible for smallholder farmers to plant treated seeds and also benefit from efficient weed and pest control systems to improve their yield.
The initiative is being rolled out by Wynca Sunshine Agriculture and Trading Company in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) with the aim to modernise the country’s agriculture.
The technology has been piloted in nine Wynca Sunshine demonstration farms located in the Eastern, Ashanti, and Brong Ahafo regions.
Field trip
Key personalities who took part in the field trip included the Deputy Director of MOFA in charge of Crops, Mr Kingsley Kwako Amoah, the Eastern Regional Director of MOFA, Mr Henry Crentsil, the Yilo Krobo District Director of Agriculture, Mr Daniel Oduro, and the other officials of Wynca Sunshine Agriculture and Trading Company.
The observations
At the Obawale demonstration site, two acres of maize farms, one each for the Wynca Sunshine technology and the traditional farming method, were toured by the team. A member of the Wynca Sunshine technical team, Mr Francis Nii Clottey Odonkor, conducted the team round the two farms.
It was observed that the acre of maize farm that was cultivated using the Wynca sunshine technology had a better yield than the one that was planted by traditional means. The maize on the land operated by the Wynca Sunshine had bigger cobs than the one that was managed the traditional way.
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At the harvest stage, there were little weeds on the Wynca demonstration farm while the other farm was choked with weeds even though weed control was done at the same time.
The cob yield of the Wynca Sunshine demonstration farm was 2,920 kilogramme (kg) per acre while the other one operated traditionally yielded 1,133 kg per acre.
‘Partnership key’
Excited about the outcome, the Sales and Marketing Manager of Wynca Sunshine, Mr James Zhang, said "after many years of development process, we are encouraged by the results of the first maize high solutions."
"This results demonstrate the power of using advanced technology to help farmers despite the unpredictable weather conditions and increased crop volatility due to climate change," he said.
He said the partnership with MOFA that resulted in the improved yield was a good testimony of what could be accomplished through effective collaboration between the private and public sectors.
Mr Zhang said the way forward was for small-holder farmers to be encouraged and motivated to imbibe the new high-yielding technology to increase their crop yield and boost agriculture productivity.
Minister urges farmers
In a speech read on his behalf by Mr Amoah of MOFA during a field trip, the sector Minister, Dr Owusu Afiriyie Akoto, urged food crop farmers to switch from traditional farming practices to the use of modern technologies as the government rolls out programmes to transform the agriculture sector.
For his part, Mr Crentsil urged all small- holder farmers in the region to embrace the technology, saying, "we need to shift from the status quo and adopt innovations that will boost the agriculture sector."
He encouraged the farmers to seek technical advice from extension officers to know the best practices that could improve their crop yield.