Government is expected to distribute the first set of produce from farms operated by the National Service Scheme to shore up food supplies to schools under the Free Senior High School programme.
Through the Economic Enclave Project under the GhanaCARES “Obaatan Pa” initiative, over 500 bags of maize have been harvested awaiting distribution to schools.
The Education Minister visited the Economic Enclave Project located at Sekyere Kumawu in the Ashanti Region, to assess the progress of work on the farms.
The project is implemented in three key locations in the Greater Accra, Oti and Ashanti regions.
At the Sekyere Kumawu farms under the supervision of the National Service Scheme, over 20,000 acres of land have been cultivated with some farm produce already being harvested.
Under the first phase of the project, the farms located on the vast land have maize, soyabean, and rice.
Executive Director of NSS, Osei Assibey Antwi, says produce from the farms are expected to support the school feeding programme and the free senior high school.
“If government is supporting us to grow maize, then the end result is going to support government projects including the school feeding programme and free SHS. We’ve signed an MoU with the Poultry Farmers Association, and hopefully, we will serve the entire country,”he said.
Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum believes the cost of the feeding programme can be reduced through the locally produced food commodities.
He says the affordability of the commodities will make the initiative more sustainable.
“This is because, the purchase will be made literally from the warehouse at an affordable cost. You’ll buy at a cheaper price but feed the children more. This will reduce the cost of preparing the meals and sustain the project,” he said.
The Minister hinted at the government’s plan to reintroduce school farms for hands-on experience for students in Agriculture.
“We are also supporting the setup of school farms. That together would really create an opportunity for the sustainability of the school feeding projects,” he added.
So far, fifty personnel under the national service scheme from agricultural institutions across the country are in charge of activities on the farms with assured employment.
The Economic Enclave Project aims at providing agricultural infrastructure and land development support to the entrepreneurial youth and the formal private sector.
Latest Stories
-
Burnley score late to draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford
42 mins -
Bayer Leverkusen extend unbeaten run to 46 games after draw with Stuttgart
45 mins -
Chelsea come from two goals down to draw against Aston Villa
50 mins -
Andre Ayew scores in Le Havre’s 3-3 draw with PSG
59 mins -
GPL 2023/24: Kotoko draw with Medeama; Samartex go 7 points clear of Nations FC
1 hour -
Mahama cuts sod for construction of new multipurpose Jakpa palace in Damongo
2 hours -
NSS management assists Papao fire victims
2 hours -
EXPLAINER: Will dumsor end soon?
3 hours -
IMANI Africa takes on EC, accuses it of lying and publishing half truths
3 hours -
Manasseh Azure calls for investigation and prosecution of those responsible for GRA/SML contract
4 hours -
Kwesi Atuahene: Ghana’s health capital depends on HealthTech – Africa Center for Digital Transformation
4 hours -
13 signs your wife is planning on leaving you and you have no idea
4 hours -
IMANI Africa: Ghana’s EC’s dangerous and pathological conduct
4 hours -
If I speak there will be fire – Salah on Klopp row
5 hours -
Grieving after divorce is normal, but this particular kind of grief isn’t
5 hours