By Murtala Issah.
Demand for soya beans in Ghana is on the rise. Players in the industry say the current demand for the commodity far outstrips supply.
For farmers, the situation presents a window of opportunity to raise their incomes and bolster food security across the country.
As part of efforts to support the agenda of increasing the production of soya beans to meet growing demand, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is collaborating with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) to introduce a new project in Northern Ghana to help farmers increase yields.
Murtala Issah reports that the Sustainable Soybeans Production in Northern Ghana (Shaping) is a 4-year project funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) which aims to support rural farmers to raise soybeans yields, improve incomes and boost food security. The project will be implemented in 15 selected districts in the Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East and Upper West regions.
As part of the inception activities, a 2-day workshop was organized for district directors of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) from the beneficiary districts to sensitize them on the implementation plan.
Speaking at the inception session, the Project Coordinator, Professor Samuel Agyei Nsiah explained that, “the project will ensure the strengthening of actors along the value chain’’.
The Country Representative of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Dr. Richard Asare observed that soya beans have huge potential in Ghana as demand increases locally and across the globe.
“The IITA, which is one of the collaborating partners, will support the beneficiary farmers to increase yields,’’ he noted.
The Northern Regional Director of Agriculture Hawa Musah in an interview with GBC News, said she is optimistic that the collaboration will enable farmers to “increase yields’’.
