Okumaning (E/R), Dec 29, GNA - The Export Marketing and Quality Awareness Project (EMQAP) has organized a field day on good agricultural practices (GAPS) in pineapple production for farmers in the Kwaebibirem District. Also in attendance were the Ministry of Food and Agriculture Directors and agriculture extension officers from 16 districts of the Eastern Region.

The field day was held at the pineapple demonstration farm at the University of Ghana Agriculture Research Centre (ARC) at Okumaning. It is one of four demonstration centres established by the EMQAP, a Ghana government and Africa Development Bank funded project aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of the Ghanaian horticulture industry. The other centers are at Amrahia in the Greater Accra Region, Vakpo in the Volta Region and Okyereko in the Central Region. Briefing the farmers and other participants of at the field day, Mr Harry Bleppong, horticultural specialist in-charge of EMQAP, said the project had four components one of which is to establish, equip and operate the four demonstration centres.

The centres are to serve as centres of excellence to be used for disseminating modern technologies in horticulture.

The centres are to have crop-specific plots for training in good agriculture practices, with the main training focus on the value chain of the major horticultural export crops to enable farmers to obtain high yields and quality produce.

Mr Bleppong said the facilities at the demonstration centres were being developed to make them fully functional to serve the intended purpose. When completed, each centre would have offices for the farm manager and visiting research scientist, conference facilities for training farmers and exporters, dam and irrigation facilities for all year round production, pack house and storage facilities for harvested produce, agro input store and farm machinery and equipment.

He said the demonstration centres at Okumaning, Amrahia and Vakpo had established pineapple plots which were being used to demonstrate good agricultural practices in pineapple production in their respective regions. He said the centre teaches technologies and good practice such as the use of plastic mulch to conserve moisture, ploughing across the slope, ridging along the contours and the use of seepage pits to control erosion. Other were sourcing quality planting materials to increase yield and also to avoid diseases such as pytophthora and mealy bug wilt, use of recommended fertilizers regimes and pest and disease control methods to improve yields were being demonstrated.

The head of the ARC, Okumaning, Dr G.O Nkansah said other horticultural plants such as pepper, pawpaw, egg plant and okro would be cultivated under the project.

He said a dam was being built at the demonstration farm for dry season farming, using sprinkle and drip irrigation. Mr Godwin Ocloo, Eastern Regional Director of Agriculture, said a lot of efforts were being put to add value to crops for export and local processing. He asked farmers to take advantage to visit the demonstration centre to learn technologies to improve production.