The Department of Agriculture at Agogo in the Asante Akim North Municipality has called on the government to establish a mechanisation centre in the Municipality to help farmers address faulty farm machinery challenges.
Mr. Osei Bonsu, the Municipal Agricultural Officer, who made the appeal through the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi, indicated that there used to be a mechanisation centre some years back where farmers used to service and seek operational assistance for tractors, harrows, ploughs, and ridges, among others.
“This office is no more in my District, and farmers are complaining. I cannot tell for other areas but without mechanisation centres it is difficult for farmers and Agricultural officers.”
Mr. Bonsu said the situation was very disturbing, looking at the current trends and advanced application of farm implements, which every country was pursuing to achieve higher yields.
“The farmers will go and procure the tractors and within a short time the machine breaks down and they will not know where to get the services of repairing, this becomes worrying and sometimes they have to resort to manpower which delays work on the farm.”
He pointed out that Asante Akim North was one of the farming areas in Ghana where high volumes of crops, including maize, yam, plantain, cassava, rice and vegetables were produced.
It is therefore necessary for the government to, as a matter of urgency, set up a mechanisation centre to ensure seamless repair of farming equipment.
Mechanisation has been known globally to help farmers complete tasks faster and more efficiently, potentially leading to increased crop yields and productivity.
Agricultural mechanisation services contribute to the modernisation agenda by introducing modern machinery and technologies and encouraging farmers to adapt to new practices.
For government initiatives such as the Feed Ghana Programme to be more sustainable and enhance economic growth, the state must prioritise agricultural mechanisation as part of the project’s thematic areas.
