At least some 12,197 farmers benefiting from the Planting for Food and Jobs programme in the Ho West District Assembly of the Volta Region, have recorded over 100% in yields. 

According to the District Director of Agriculture, Seth Rawhide Asuo, the farmers who signed up for the program since 2018 are doing very well, a sign of the programme fetching some good results.

Addressing journalists at the Assembly’s maiden ‘Meet the press series’ Mr. Asuo added that the assembly was working on identifying communities suitable for large scale cultivation of six tree crops including citrus, cashew, oil palm and coconut.

Planting for Food and Jobs programme was launched by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2018. The programme is to help address the declining growth of the agricultural sector of the country.

As part of the programme, Ghanaians have been admonished to take up agriculture as a full-time business to enable the country to produce enough to feed itself and for export.

Under the programme, which was started with a seed capital of GH₵560million, about 200,000 farmers have been provided with fertilizers as well as other farming inputs.

Spanning a period of five years, the programme also hopes to create jobs to deal with the unemployment challenges in the country.

Addressing the media, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ho West District, Ernest Victor Apau, also said the assembly was currently in talks with foreign experts to start fruit tree production.

Mr Apau stated that more farmers would also benefit from piggery and poultry projects under the Rearing for Food and Jobs programme.

The DCE said there is the need to go more into organic products to boost agriculture in the district and urged individuals and companies to help boost agriculture activities in the various farming communities.

The meet the press program was initiated by the Local Government and Information ministries. The engagement is to be held on a quarterly basis to enable the assemblies to be accountable to the public.