An agricultural input firm, RMG Ghana Limited, has rolled out an initiative known as Farmers’ Support Programme Against COVID-19.
The thrust of the initiative is to enable RMG Ghana Ltd to give the necessary leg up to farmers for them to stand the challenges of COVID-19 whilst making Ghana food secured.
As part of the program, personal protective equipment (PPE) valued at GH₵ 100,000.00 are being presented to farmers, technical staff, and distributors in RMG’s operational areas across the Country.
GBC’s Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo reports that the Sissala East and West areas of the Upper West Regions are the beneficiaries of the RMG’s support package made up of masks, hand sanitisers and carbolic soap. Three communities in the Sissala enclave that played host to symbolic presentations of the PPE were Lipilime, Sorbelle and Kowie.
In line with the distribution arrangements, the field staff of RMG will later link up with identified beneficiary farmers for them to get their packages in their localities.
The Communication Officer of RMG Ghana Ltd, Sylvester Kwame Osei, said the company is socially oriented in providing sustainable support to farmers in their production processes. He indicated that RMG’s priority this year is to feed the nation. Mr. Osei talked about the measures to cushion and support farmers to work successfully.
He said: “We as a company have put together a holistic program which we call that RMG Farmers’ Support Program. We put together this program to support farmers in particular because we know other programs support others. There are programs that have supported health workers getting salaries without being taxed. We have put this together specifically for farmers. The reason why we do this is to cater for their welfare and whilst that is going on farmers will continue to produce so that at the end of the year, Ghana will continue to be food sufficient.”
“We will be able to feed our very own, we believe that the farmers will not stop producing because of COVID-19 and at the end of the year, we fall on other countries or import from other countries to feed our own people and this is the situation other countries may also be struggling with to supply because the pandemic is not just limited to Ghana or an African country. It is a global phenomenon,” Mr. Osei affirmed.
The Operations Manager of Alsa-RMG, Seidu Nanundow, also helped in presenting the items to the communities.
Those who symbolically received the items at the various communities thanked RMG Ghana Ltd for the gesture and promised that they will do their bid for the farmers’ support program to achieve its objectives through proper utilisation of the PPE.
At Lipilime, the Chief Farmer for Cotton, Fuseini Yowie, took delivery of the items while his counterpart at Sorbelle, Abdulai Dayuo, did same on for his community.
At Kowie, the Leader of the Maize farmers, Alidu Fowie, received the gift. The support program is equally embarking on educational campaign at the community level to help check the spread of the corona virus.
The Sissala West District Mental Health Officer, Sulley Mohammed, who took the farmers through preventive measures against COVID-19 stressed the need for people not to stigmatise those who have been infected and affected by the disease.
The RMG team also paid a courtesy call to the Palace at Tumu where they were received by the Head of Kanton Family and Lard Lord of Tumu, Baba Lurimua Kanton who deputised for the Tumu Kuoro.
At the Tumu Palace, Mr. Godfred Baveru Kanton who spoke on behalf of the elders, praised RMG Ghana Ltd for the program to support farmers to enhance food security of the country.
Early on, the team called on the Paramount Chief of Gwollu, Kuoro Kuri-Buktie Limann, at his palace at Gwollu.
Story filed by Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo
