800 farmers in the Nanumba South district of the Northern Region have received cashew seedlings under the government initiative on agriculture dubbed “Planting For Export and Rural Development” (PERD).
The district has produced sixty-eight thousand, three hundred cashew seedlings for distribution to farmers for planting on a thousand, six hundred acres of land.
This was disclosed by the District Chief Executive for the area, Natogmah Ibrahim Munkaila at a town hall meeting organized by the Nanumba South district in collaboration with the Ministry of Information.
The initiative is government’s transformational efforts to shift from the over-reliance on the production and export of cocoa and to diversify Ghana’s agriculture.
Under the initiative, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives are to supervise the production of cashew seedlings for distribution to farmers.
It is to ensure that more rural jobs are created to help reduce rural-urban migration.
There has also been an increase in the number of beneficiaries under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program from 1, 764 to over 7, 000 beneficiaries in 88 communities in the district.
School Feeding Program has also seen an increase from 28 schools to 41 schools in just one and a half years.
The DCE told Citi News that 1, 395 farmers have been able to procure government subsidized farm inputs under the Planting for Food and Jobs that will improve crop yield and ensure food security and also improve on the incomes of farmers in the Nanumba South district.
“Out of the total number of registered farmers of 5, 500, only 1, 395 farmers have been able to procure the inputs for use. This intervention is expected to improve on the crop yield in our district, ensure food security and improve on the incomes of our farmers.”
The Nanumba South district has implemented government policies that have improved the quality of lives of the people in the area.
The Assembly has drilled some boreholes and rehabilitated classroom blocks and CHPS compounds.
The DCE called on residents in the district to collaborate with assembly to address some of the challenges in their communities.
Mr. Munkaila also appealed to households to construct household latrines so as to improve on the unsanitary conditions in the district.
–
Mohammed Aminu M Alabira/citinewsroom.com/Ghana