Is government planting for food failing in Mion?

NPP's planting for food and jobs is flopping in the Mion district of the northern region and may not see the light of day as farmers do not patronise their inputs due to the lack of tractor services in the area.

Farmers within the Mion district have been crying for the lack of tractor services in the area which has drastically affected farming activities which has led to massive employment among the people.

As a result, the government's new agricultural initiative known as planting for food and jobs which was launched few weeks ago is seeing no motivation and no interest at the Mion district.

According to some farmers who spoke to Rainbow Radio's Prince Kwame Tamakloe, they lamented that they have no access to tractor services to plough their lands for farming hence there would be no reason to go for the inputs provided by the government.

“ If you don't plough your land how can you plant your maize and apply the fertilizer” They quizzed. One Dauda Inuba stated that the tractor services are what is needed most in the Mion district so the government should provide that urgently to aid their farming activities.

“In fact, what we need now as farmers in this district is a tractor services to plough our lands then we can now go for the inputs provided by the government” He suggested.

It is said that over 98% of the households in the Mion district are involved in crop farming thus these population all suffer the effects of the lack of tractor service.

Some farmers who were able to cultivate the crops on time said it took the intervention of an NGO called “ Empowerment For Life” (E4L) to get some tractors from neighboring Tamale and Yendi to plough the lands for the farmers.

However Madam Ubaida Ibrahim of E4L highlighted the effects of the problems these farmers from Sakoya, Jimle, Tuya, Sang and so on face, saying it is effecting education and the health of the people and was quick to also call on other NGOs, individuals and the government to provide tractors for these farmers.

“The farmers are suffering and all they need is the tractor to plough their lands, so I will urge everyone including the NGOs and government to provide these tractors for the farmers either for hiring or on credit” Madam Ubaida appealed.