As part of efforts to bring certified seeds and other inputs to the door steps of farmers for the 2021 planting season, a seed fair has been held in Wa in the Upper West Region.
The event dovetails into an aggressive 24-month campaign project to increase smallholder farmers’ productivity as well as food and nutrition security in Ghana.
GBC’s Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo reports that the project has a funding support from the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
The Seed and Inputs Fair in Wa enabled actors in the seed and inputs sector across the agricultural value chain to exchange information and ideas to enhance their work.
The AGRA support funded project also aimed at delivering high quality certified seeds of hybrid maize, cowpea, groundnut and soybean to 300, 000 smallholder farmers in Northern Ghana to increase their production.
The Upper West Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of Department of Agriculture, Madam Rita Mumuni, who deputised for the Regional Director of Agriculture to open the fair, was very grateful to the exhibitors and said the event was a further proof to support the private sector to take full command of agricultural development in the country.
She stated: “To all exhibitors, thank you for accepting to come this far to make your products and services easily accessible to the farmers today and in future. Clearly, this demonstrates efforts at getting the private sector in Ghana gradually and actively taking full command over agricultural development as the engine of economic growth.”
“We believe that this will be the beginning of breaking new grounds in doing business within our catchment area to ensure that farmers have access to the right inputs for increased productivity and enhanced livelihood.”
The MCE for Wa, Tahiru Issahaku Moomin, commended the National Seed Trade Association of Ghana (NASTAG) and its partners for organizing the Fair, saying it complements government’s efforts in ensuring food security.
“Today’s occasion clearly complements the Planting for Food and Jobs program and other prudent and viable agricultural programs introduced by his Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led administration to industrialized agriculture to ensure adequate food security and more importantly make it attractive to the youth of the country.”
Mr Moomin expressed the hope the Fair in the coming years would be organized at the zonal level to showcase newly improved variety of seeds and other inputs to “our gallant farmers at their door steps”.
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Seed Trade Association of Ghana (NASTAG), Madam Augusta Nyamadi Clottey, advised farmers to be diligent in procuring certified seeds.
She pointed out that people should check if the right information is on the packaging material of the seed they are buying.
She stressed: “If there is no information, no company name, no contact detail from the agro dealer, and then ask ‘yourself’ another question- if there is a problem where do I go to?”
The Technical Adviser, EUGAP/GIZ-MOAP North West Agri-business, Mbanya Wuni Issah announced that the project is working with seven value chain crops in a project area of North-Western Ghana. He identified the seven crops as rice, sorghum, groundnut, soybean, vegetables, mango and cashew. Mr. Issah said the project is being run in collaboration with Plant Protection and Regulatory Services of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to ensure quality control.
The Country Director of African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), Nana-Aisha Mohammed, indicated that the main goal of AFAP partnering NASTAG to organize the Seed and Inputs Fair was to ensure that farmers have affordable and quality inputs at every step of the way.
The Wa Municipal Seed and Inputs Fair was organized by NASTAG in collaboration with MoFA, EUGAP/GIZ-MOAP and AFAP under the theme: “Strengthening the Ghana Seed System to Enhance Quality Seed Delivery”.
Story filed by Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo.
