Mr Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, disclosing this explained that the programme was a new initiative and intervention introduced by the government to promote national food security and job creation. He said under the programme, farmers would be motivated to engage in maize, millet, beans and other crop farming in commercial quantities.

The interested farmers y would be provided with free seedlings and other agricultural inputs and agro-chemicals such as fertilizers at reduced prices, Mr Asomah-Cheremeh made this known at the launching of the KVCL/Dizengoff partnership project in Sunyani. He said the government had already engaged about 4,100 agric extension officers who would provide technical advice and other extension services to the farmers to boost production.

The partnership is an agric project being implemented by the Kofi Vinyo and Company Limited (KVCL), an agribusiness company based at Kwatire in the Sunyani West District and Dizengoff Ghana Limited, dealers in agric inputs and agro-chemicals.

Under the partnership, Dizengoff Ghana will bring its products to the door-step of famers in Brong-Ahafo, Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions at reduced prices.  Mr Asomah-Cheremeh said the government had also put in place measures, and that it would not be difficult for the farmers to sell their produce as the government would buy them at their farm gates.

The Regional Minister noted that the government’s proposed one-district-one factory project could not be successful if it failed to give the agric sector the needed attention.  He expressed discomfort about the unscrupulous activities of illegal loggers in most of the forest reserves in the Region, and urged traditional rulers to support the Regional Security Council to arrest the situation.

Mr Kofi Vinyo, the Managing Director of KVCL, called on the government to ensure the speedy mechanization of farming to improve agricultural productivity.  “Looking at the global trend, if Ghana is to sustain its economy, one of the best ways is to move away from the manual agricultural practices,” he said.

Mr Vinyo urged the youth to embrace agriculture, and see the sector as a business enterprise and appealed to financial institutions to readily support farmers. Mr Ahmad Hashemi, the General Manager of Dizengoff Ghana Limited, said his company was poised to revolutionalise agriculture in the Northern part of the country. He underlined the need for Ghana to devise alternative ways, tapped into and harnessed her abundant natural resources for wealth creation and poverty reduction.

Mr Hashemi said modern irrigations systems for small scale farmers, efficient application of bio-products (organic materials) were very recommendable for improved yields and food productivity.  He expressed the hope that the partnership would be deepened and achieve positive outcomes for mutual benefit.