First Agriculture Information Centre Opens

An agricultural information centre, the first of its kind in the country was on Tuesday inaugurated at Atebubu in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The centre, located inside the Atebubu yam market, is a joint initiative of the Directorate of Agricultural Extension Services (DAES) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the German Technical Co-operation Agency (GTZ).

It is intended, among others things, to provide a forum for the exchange of information among stakeholders in agriculture.

The centre will also provide services to other people like input suppliers and wholesalers, traders, transporters, banks, non-governmental organisations

and district assembliesAlhaji Amadu Ali, Member of Parliament for Atebubu South said the centre would enhance efficiency in agricultural production and processing and add value to agricultural products to maximise profit.

He said post-harvest losses were a major disincentive in food and general agricultural production.

Alhaji Ali, therefore, lauded the DAES and GTZ for their initiative,

saying, "The objective is holistic and will make a positive impact on the lives of the people who are predominantly farmers".

He said access to credit facilities was a problem for farmers because of their inability to provide collateral security as individuals.

The MP advised farmers in the district to form co-operatives to make it easier for them to secure loans from the banks.

Mr. Franklin Donkor, Director of DAES, advised the district assembly to team up with relevant agencies to open more of such centres in the district.

Mr. Philip Kwame Titriku, Regional Director of Agriculture said due to inadequate resources and personnel, agriculture information dissemination had been slow and inefficient.

He said statistics showed that the agent to farmer ration was about 1:1,800 and that made it virtually impossible to reach the majority of farmers with information.

Mr. Titriku said the establishment of the information centre to explore alternative ways of disseminating agricultural information would bring the extension agents and farmers closer.

Mr. Heimo Posamentier, a GTZ official said the centre would become more beneficial to the farmers when they voluntarily went there for information and solution to their problems.