By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
The Ashanti Regional Directorate of Food and Agriculture has introduced crop farmers to a new organic fertilizer as part of efforts of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to promote alternative farm production inputs toward food security at a time the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is seriously impacting on the fertilizer international supply chain.
The farmers were conducted around a maize demonstration farm where the organic fertilizer has been applied resulting in an appreciable yield.
Taking part in the field observation tour was the Director of Crop Services at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Seth Osei Akoto.
The powdery organic fertilizer is fortified with Zinc and other qualities comparable to the know inorganic Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium, NPK-based product which farmers are used to, in their crop production.
It is could even be applied during the land preparation period three months before the actual planting.
The Concept Green organic fertilizer once applied, substantially reduces the acidic content of the soil while increasing its alkalinity for better crop performance.
A crop farmer, Agyemang Amoah, who has already tried it alongside the known inorganic fertilizer on his mixed crop farm, was among the participating farmers and with samples of maize from the two farms, shared his experience with the other farmers around.
With two cobs of yellow corn separately in both hands, Mr. Amoah demonstrated “in my hands are cobs of corn from from my two farms of inorganic and organic fertilizer. There is no striking difference in their yield. I applied the organic fertilizer during preparation of the land about three months before planting the corn.”
The field trip to the plot of maize at the premises of the Kumasi Metro Department of Agriculture at Dadiesoaba in Kumasi saw some peasant farmers, Municipal and District Agric Directors and some Directors from the Regional and national levels, was to introduce the new organic fertilizer to the farmers and the officials.
The demonstration farm, which was cultivated on a gravel-filled overused land in April this year, has reached the maturity stage with appreciable yield allowing for effective comparism with the other fertilizer the participants.
The Kumasi Metro Crop Officer of the Department of Agric, Mr. Twumasi Ankrah, who supervised the demonstration farm, took the participants through the most effective application processes of the fertilizer
Participating in the field trip were the Director of Crop Services at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Seth Osei Akoto, a former Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr. Abraham Dwumah Odoom, a renowned commercial maize farmer who is also a former MP for Ejura-Sekyedumase, Alhaji Issifu Pangabu among others to also learn about the new organic fertilizer.
Mr. Dwumah Odoom described the international factors undermining food production as a blessing in disguise to force Ghana to domesticate.
The Ashanti Regional Director of Agric, Reverend John Manu, said the product is being introduced under the government’s agricultural flagship initiative of Planting for Food and Jobs with a substantial subsidy to engender accessibility by crop farmers.
The Director of Crop Services at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Seth Osei Akoto, said the disruption in the international supply chain of fertilizer due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, government is partnering with the private sector to develop alternative fertilizer to make up for the shortage that has since last year been impacting negatively on food production locally.
