AGRICULTURE

Six female farmers groups presented with hand-held rice harvesters
Six female rice producing farmers groups in the Pru East District of the Bono East Region have received a total of 14 hand-held rice harvesters at ceremonies at Yeji, Parambo no. 1 and Adjentiriwa.

Date Created : 5/19/2021 12:00:00 AM : Story Author : Daniel Oduro-Stewart/Ghanadistricts.com

The items were donated by the Canadian government through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture under the ‘modernizing agriculture in Ghana’ MAG project.

The beneficiary groups were: Tisurtor rice farmers group who received one, Enso Nyame ye rice farmers group, Kananonko women farmers association and Adjentiriwa Anofo women farmers association who took 3 each of the harvesters.

Others were Wango Wango farmers association and Choklombo Nkwanta women farmers association who got 2 each.

Presenting the items, the Pru East district chief executive Hon. Joshua Kwaku Abonkrah hoped the support will empower the women to diversify from fish trade for which women in the district are known thereby providing alternative livelihoods for the people.

He said apart from improving the well-being of these women and their families, the gesture will go a long way to boost food security in the district and beyond.

The DCE expressed his gratitude to the Canadian government for the donation of a rice processing facility under the same project and said the district assembly is assisting with the extension of electricity to the site to enable it start operation.



The Bono-East regional agricultural officer in charge of crops, Mr. Eric Kontomah who stood-in for the regional director of agriculture, extoled the benefits of group formation. He said the 6 groups benefitted from the facility because they met some basic requirements like: a group registration certificate, evidence of meetings and bank statements adding that groups that satisfying the above requirements should have existed for at least 3 years to qualify for any such assistance under the MAG project.

The Pru East district director of the Department of Agriculture Mr. Nambe Jababu said his outfit played a major role in the success story the 6 groups by initiating proposals for the donations and also supporting them to meet the requirements for qualification.

He urged the groups to report any problems with the use of the equipment to his office for redress.

Officials from the district office of the Department of Agriculture who assembled the equipment also took the beneficiaries through the use and maintenance of the items.

Some of the women expressed their gratitude to government for the intervention which they hoped will help them increase cultivation and improve their income for a better quality of life for themselves and their families.