Farmers in Sissala area take delivery of MASLOC tractors

Members of the Sissala East and Sissala West Districts Farmers Association have taken delivery of 14 tractors from the Micro Finance and Small Loans Center (MASLOC) to help boost farming in the area.

Hitherto, the area had only 30% coverage in terms of tractor services according to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), hence the presentation of the tractors would help increase the coverage.

The tractors have been given to the farmers on loan and beneficiaries are expected to pay Ghc2,400.00 for 48 months after a deposit of Ghc10,000.00 each.

Speaking during a short presentation ceremony at Tumu in the Sissala East District, Mrs. Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, said the government through MASLOC was committed to modernizing agriculture in order to make it attractive, especially to the youth.

This, she said, would discourage them from seeking the get-rich-quick ventures that often landed them in trouble and truncating their future.

Mr. Abu Kansangbata, Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, said the continued use of hoes and cutlasses by farmers in the area undermined efforts to realize the full potential of agriculture in the area.

He said it was for this reason that the government found it necessary to resource MASLOC to support farmers to transit from the hoe and cutlass agriculture to a mechanized agriculture.

He appealed to the farmers to pay their loans promptly to enable MASLOC to purchase more tractors for other farmers to benefit.

Mr. Kansangbata also appealed to the chiefs and people of the Sissala area to support government efforts to put an end to fertilizer and fuel smuggling in the area to enable farmers to have access to subsidized fertilizer to increase production.

The Deputy Regional Minister commended Madam Alijata Sulemana, Member of Parliament (MP) for Sissala East, and Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemani, MP for Sissala West Constituency and Minister for Roads and Highways for the important role they played to get MASLOC to bring the tractors to the area.

Mr. Moses Dramani Luri, Sissala West District Chief Executive, thanked the farmers for being proactive and assertive in their quest to access the tractors.

He pledged that he would personally ensure that the beneficiaries repay their loans on schedule to boost MASLOC confidence to bring more tractors to farmers in the two Sissala districts.

Mr. Ahmed Dimah, one of the beneficiaries thanked the government and MASLOC for giving such support to farmers in the area to boost agriculture.

He said the area even with hoes, cutlasses and few tractors that were often brought in from Ejura in the Ashanti Region during farming seasons the area was still considered as a food basket of the country.

He said with an increase in the fleet of tractors they could only hope for a tremendous boost in agriculture.

Mr. Dimah however appealed to MASLOC to make spare parts of the tractors available and accessible to farmers.