Establish district agric centres to boost farming

A farmer and industrialist has called for the creation of District Agricultural centres to coordinate matters on agronomy, storage and marketing of farm produce to make farming a more formidable sector of the economy.

The one-stop concept would make available information on the land tenure systems, soil type, crop suitability and training programmes on how to make farming a profitable business venture.

Mr Charles Yao Mensah, Executive Chairman, Myroc Group of companies, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said Ghana could rely on agriculture to achieve food security and enhance its industrialization drive.

“If we are not food sufficient and cannot also produce basic raw materials for industry then we would always import food and basic goods, which the economy is not well structured to absolve,” he said.

He said farming needed to be branded as a prestigious and noble activity to attract the young who were mostly less enthused about its association with drudgery and poverty.

“The reality is that poor people can hardly farm because of the resources involved but farmers are profiled as poor and ignorant people.”

He said, “Young people are more enticed by prestigious careers and would not like to be associated with the agriculture sector but it is the only sector which can guarantee the employment of the teeming jobless youth.

“If we get the basics right, all other things would fall into place. Policy makers should talk to owners of farms in order to make the right decisions. There is too much running around,” he said.