The Deputy Minister of Local Government in charge of Rural Development and Agric, Collins Ntim, yesterday [Thursday] opened a training programme for over 40 agricultural extension officers and agents within the Ghana Social Opportunities program (GSOP) cashew zones in Wenchi.
The program is the first of many other training programmes for extension agents as part of the cashew project under the District centre for agricultural commence and technology(DCAT) and planting for Export and Rural Development ( PERD) programme.
Speaking at the four-day program held in Wenchi farm Institute, Collins Ntim said the government would develop six selected tree crops, namely cashew, coffee, oil palm, coconut, citrus, and mango into cash crops, hence the rolling out of the PERD program on January 15, 2018.
These crops have comparatively higher economic importance, sociocultural acceptance and are most suitable for specific geographical areas in Ghana.
Collins Ntim further stated that the high political commitment towards the implementation of the PERD programme, especially the cashew component, is to position Ghana to become the world’s leading producer of cashew in the next 5 to 10 years.
He said the PERD program is not only expected to create jobs mostly for the youth and the unemployed graduates but also to secure a sustainable supply of raw materials to support the government’s decentralised industrialisation drive through the one district one factory initiative.
He added that the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development had supplied 37 district assemblies with bags of viable and high-quality cashew seeds for the development of 3.7million seedlings to be provided to farmers.
With agriculture extension agents being the key actors in providing extension services to the farmers in a carefully regulated environment with the appropriate husbandry practices required to ensure high germination rates, particular skills shall be necessary to graft quality scions onto germinated seedlings to ensure the plantation yields quality cashew fruits hence the 4-day training.
Collins Ntim reiterated government’s resolve to eradicate poverty amongst our rural folks especially farmers by providing all the necessary resources and guidance to ensure the establishment of large plantations of cashew to feed the existing cashew processing plants at full capacity and for exports.
He also urged the agric extension agents to play the roles cut out for them to ensure the establishment of quality and full one-quarter-hectare cashew nurseries to develop at least 1000 hectares of cashew plantation by the end of the 3rd quarter of this year in their respective district assemblies.
He thanked the chiefs for their continuous support towards government’s program on agriculture and further expressed his appreciation to the GSOP and Wenchi technical teams.
Present at the program was the MCE for Wenchi, Prince Kwakye, Nana Ansere Asakra II, DCE for Offinso North, David Asare, and the National coordinator GSOP, Mr Austin Roberts.
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By: citinewsroom.com/Ghana