RM INSPECTS BLOCK FARM SITES AT TONO, FUMBISI
RM INSPECTS BLOCK FARM SITES AT TONO,FUMBISI July 06, 2010
BY PETER ATOGEWE WEDAM
ISD-BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL
The Irrigation Company of Upper Region [ICOUR] headquartered at Tono in the Kassena-Nankana East district of the Upper East region has engaged a total of 236 youth under the government youth in agric block farm programme. They comprise 203 males and 33 females. Each of these youth, who are mainly into rice cultivation is expected to earn gross income of 2,640 Ghana Cedis over a period of four months.
The Managing Director of ICOUR, Alhaji Issah Bukari made this known to the Upper East regional minister, Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo when the latter called at the ICOUR offices for a brief about progress made in the 2009/2010 crop season. Alhaji Bukari said the youth under the block farm programme have been given a total land area of 300 hectares to cultivate and are expected to produce 1,372 metric tons of rice.
The ICOUR director disclosed that his office has injected inputs valued at 131,765 Ghana Cedis into the block farm programme which is now in its third year of implementation. The inputs according to him include technical advice, supervision and timely supply of agro inputs.
He said ICOUR has procured four crawler rice combine machines and one crawler rotavator to facilitate quick land preparation and cultivation of the produce in the wet season while government has allocated tractors to five farmer-based organisations.
However, marketing of the ICOUR milled rice has often become a big challenge therefore, the MD called on schools in the region to buy their supplies from ICOUR in order to give it ready market and also give farmers reason to continue with their work.
On the issue of the planned establishment of a new tomato factory at Tono which the regional minister enquired, Alhaji Bukari replied explaining that ICOUR has already hosted a team of investors from Italy and further discussions are ongoing. If a deal is reached, 25 million Euro will be required for the project.
The ICOUR MD gave the 2010 season targets as 800 hectares for paddy rice, rice seed 500 hectares while that for millet and sorghum is pegged at 200 hectares. For groundnuts, the target is 1,300 hectares.
The Kassena-Nankana East district director of agric, Dr. Cyril Quist in response to questions from the press said the agric ministry has allocated 2,370 bags of NPK and Ammonia and several thousands of other fertilizers to the district for sale to farmers at subsidised prices. He said stringent measures have been instituted to check that nobody smuggles the fertilizer.
Led by officials of the Bolgatanga office of the ministry of agric and the ICOUR MD, the regional minister, Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo proceeded to inspect some rice valleys at Tono and Fumbisi project sites. He also inspected a rice mill at Tono and a fertilizer and seed storage facility at Fumbisi.
Mr. Woyongo tasked the ICOUR management to buy tractors in bulk from the agric ministry and use them to offer subsidised plough services to poor farmers. He also urged authorities of ICOUR and the ministry of food and agriculture to come out with a guaranteed price for farmers especially those under the block farm programme so that produce is readily sold after harvest.
In the Builsa district alone, 615 beneficiaries are engaged in four rice valleys under the block farm programme.
BY PETER ATOGEWE WEDAM
ISD-BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL
The Irrigation Company of Upper Region [ICOUR] headquartered at Tono in the Kassena-Nankana East district of the Upper East region has engaged a total of 236 youth under the government youth in agric block farm programme. They comprise 203 males and 33 females. Each of these youth, who are mainly into rice cultivation is expected to earn gross income of 2,640 Ghana Cedis over a period of four months.
The Managing Director of ICOUR, Alhaji Issah Bukari made this known to the Upper East regional minister, Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo when the latter called at the ICOUR offices for a brief about progress made in the 2009/2010 crop season. Alhaji Bukari said the youth under the block farm programme have been given a total land area of 300 hectares to cultivate and are expected to produce 1,372 metric tons of rice.
The ICOUR director disclosed that his office has injected inputs valued at 131,765 Ghana Cedis into the block farm programme which is now in its third year of implementation. The inputs according to him include technical advice, supervision and timely supply of agro inputs.
He said ICOUR has procured four crawler rice combine machines and one crawler rotavator to facilitate quick land preparation and cultivation of the produce in the wet season while government has allocated tractors to five farmer-based organisations.
However, marketing of the ICOUR milled rice has often become a big challenge therefore, the MD called on schools in the region to buy their supplies from ICOUR in order to give it ready market and also give farmers reason to continue with their work.
On the issue of the planned establishment of a new tomato factory at Tono which the regional minister enquired, Alhaji Bukari replied explaining that ICOUR has already hosted a team of investors from Italy and further discussions are ongoing. If a deal is reached, 25 million Euro will be required for the project.
The ICOUR MD gave the 2010 season targets as 800 hectares for paddy rice, rice seed 500 hectares while that for millet and sorghum is pegged at 200 hectares. For groundnuts, the target is 1,300 hectares.
The Kassena-Nankana East district director of agric, Dr. Cyril Quist in response to questions from the press said the agric ministry has allocated 2,370 bags of NPK and Ammonia and several thousands of other fertilizers to the district for sale to farmers at subsidised prices. He said stringent measures have been instituted to check that nobody smuggles the fertilizer.
Led by officials of the Bolgatanga office of the ministry of agric and the ICOUR MD, the regional minister, Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo proceeded to inspect some rice valleys at Tono and Fumbisi project sites. He also inspected a rice mill at Tono and a fertilizer and seed storage facility at Fumbisi.
Mr. Woyongo tasked the ICOUR management to buy tractors in bulk from the agric ministry and use them to offer subsidised plough services to poor farmers. He also urged authorities of ICOUR and the ministry of food and agriculture to come out with a guaranteed price for farmers especially those under the block farm programme so that produce is readily sold after harvest.
In the Builsa district alone, 615 beneficiaries are engaged in four rice valleys under the block farm programme.
Comments