The Upper West Region has produced more than 800,000 metric tonnes of maize within the past 3 years under the Planting Food and Jobs (PFJ).
In 2017, the region produced 47,549 metric tonnes of maize. The maize produced increased to 221,156 in 2018 while 2019 saw maize production in excess of 500,000 metric tonnes. Beneficiaries under the programme also increased from 29,249 in 2017 to 117,149 in 2018.
According to data from the Department of Agriculture in the Upper West Region, the beneficiaries rose to 162,621 in 2019. This figure included 40,003 females and 122,618 males.
In an interview with GBC’s Radio Ghana at Wa, the Regional Crops Officer, Huudu Abu said looking at the upward trend, it is expected that about 200,000 farmers would subscribe unto the program this year.
The Planting for Food and Jobs Program was initiated to ensure a deliberate increase in food production. The program hinges on five major platforms which include access to fertilisers, access to improved seeds and access to mechanisation services. The others are e-agriculture and the involvement of youth and women in agriculture in Ghana.
Over the past three years, more than 380,000 hectares of land has been cultivated. Out of the total land cultivated, the Department of Agriculture estimates that about 90 per cent was for the cultivation of maize. The other 10 percent was used for the cultivation of rice, vegetables, soya beans and other crops under the PFJ program.
The Upper West Regional Crops Officer, Huudu Abu said the supply of improved seeds to farmers had led to increased yield from between 6-8 bags per acre to between 10-12 bags per acre. Mr Abu was confident that the increased yield would encourage more farmers to join the program this year.
Mr Abu said the initial idea to allow farmers pay 25 percent of the total amount of the subsidized inputs failed because recovery was low. Mr Abu said the management of the PFJ program then revised the terms to a more sustainable one.
“For 2017, there was some kind of recovery. You [farmers] pay 25 percent and when you harvest, you [farmers] pay the rest but we were having challenges. In 2018, we changed it a little bit, farmers paid 50 percent when they harvested, they were expected to pay the rest. We [Department of Agriculture] realized that the recovery was not different from that of 2017,” he explained.
The Regional Crops Officer mentioned that for 2019, farmers were expected to pay outright sums of the subsidised seeds and fertilisers before they were able to access them. This, Mr Abu said removed the burden of low recovery of funds invested into the program.
Mr Abu said the decision to hand over sale of subsidised inputs to third party vendors has allowed the Department of Agriculture to focus on other issues with regards to extension services and technical support.
Touching on issues that affected the supply of fertilisers to the Sissala Areas, the Regional Crops Officer said the steps have been taken to ensure that the Sissala Areas which serve as the food basket of the Upper West Region receive uninterrupted supply of improved and subsidised inputs.
The Regional Crops Officer, Mr Abu said by the end of the planting season this year, he is confident that at least four of warehouses under the One District One Warehouse would become operational.
Story filed by Mark Smith.