MoFA Director Anticipates Good Harvest for Upper East

Mr Francis Ennor, the Upper East Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA)has given the assurance that the region will get a good harvest this farming season.

He said the region received a lot of fertiliser and seeds for supply to farmers and with the promising rainfall in August, the crops would do well.

The Director made the assessment in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga.

The assessment was to allay the fear of some people about agriculture production this year since the rains in June and July were low and erratic.

Speaking of tractor services and preparation towards the harvests, Mr Ennor reiterated that government had acquired some tractors nationwide and was still making frantic efforts to get some simple equipment to be used for harvesting.

He urged people in the private sector and district assemblies to make efforts to access the equipment for use by farmers for harvesting.

Mr Ennor said farmers' numerous applications to the directorate for tractor services were overwhelming and urged all interested parties to take the necessary steps to access the rice harvesters, tractors and power tillers that the government would soon make available.

Responding to the annual challenges of post-harvest losses of crops especially rice, the Regional Director stressed that planning was critical in the arrangement of harvesters by those who needed such services to enable all to benefit.

"Simultaneously everybody is harvesting so there is need to pre-arrange with people with the equipment to do the harvesting," he said and urged farmers not to wait until harvest time before arranging for the services of the harvesters.

He said most farmers did not plan well to ensure they got timely services and end up with continuous post-harvest problems.

Talking on the increase in production last year, the Director said Maize Production in the region increased from a crop area of 52,688 hectares in 2017 to 131,632 hectares in 2018, while Sorghum production had the highest increase, from 50,628 hectares in 2017 to 72,010 hectares in 2018 and rice production increased from 43,350 hectares in 2017 to 98,143 hectares last year.

Regional statistics from MoFA in Bolgatanga indicate that the region's production level increased to 472,467 metric tonnes in 2018 from 413,431 metric tonnes produced in 2017.

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