Upper East dry season farmers get good yield

Gowrie (Upper East) 18 June '99

Farmers in the Tono and Vea irrigation area in the Upper East Region, who went into dry season farming, this year, have had a good harvest.

The rice farmers said they harvested an average of 12 maxi bags of rice from their quarter hectare plots, as against the four to five bags they made in previous years.

The farmers, who were trained under the Integrated Pest Management and Farmers Field Schools (IPM/FFS) programme said they used the new techniques of land preparation, sowing and organic method of controlling pests on their farms.

They were speaking at a forum in Gowrie, near Bolgatanga after the inauguration of a 12-member (IPM/FSS) Regional Oversight Committee by Mr J.

Asiedu Nketiah, a Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture.

The farmers, however, complained of lack of market and low prices, and appealed to the Ministry to help.

Mr Nketiah advised the farmers to form co-operatives to enable them attract loans from the banks and district assemblies.

He told them that farm equipment like rice thrashers and tractors are available in Accra and could be purchased on credit.

Professor Anthony Youdeowei, IPM Specialist, with the African Regional Office of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) advised farmers to co-operate with MOFA and work hard to improve their income.

He said by reducing the use of chemicals agriculture would become environmentally friendly and the crops more nourishing.