Madam Emelia Arthur, Member of Parliament for Shama Constituency, has presented a combined harvester and a tractor valued at GHc1.3 million to the members of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) in the Shama district.
She also donated 700 wellington boots,100 bags of fertilizers and 20 motorized sprayers to farmers in the district.
The equipment were received by the National President of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Mr. Wepia Awal Adugwala and the Shama District Focal person Nana Affo Kweku II, Chief of Ohiamadwen community, on behalf of the Farmers.
This gesture was born out of consistent engagement between the MP, who is also the Minister of Fisheries, the focal person and the PFAG to meet these critical needs of rice farmers in that community.
The Agricultural machinery was acquired from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture on a hire purchase basis for use by rice farmers in the district to achieve Ghana’s long-term objective of becoming self-sufficient in rice production.
The PFAG leadership in Shama also engaged the assembly to assist them with inputs, wellington boots, and cocoa spraying machines for their activities.
Commissioning the farming inputs at Ohiamadwen in the Shama Municipality, Madam Emelia Arthur, reminded Ghanaians that Ghana is an Agrarian economy hence farmers required support to contribute significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
She said farmers in Shama were very keen on rice farming, cocoa and other food crops and assured them of the necessary support.
Madam Arthur noted that the NDC government built the dam on the River Window as part of the Inland Irrigation Project and Rice Processing Mill but pollution of the river by galamsey activities posed serious threats to the irrigation system as some farmers had to buy water to irrigate their farmlands.
The MP said under her own initiative dubbed “Agricultural Improvement Programme, the necessary support would be extended to farmers.
She added that the President John Dramani Mahama would open the Agricultural Mechanization Center for the first batch of fifty farming communities.
The MP said Parliament had approved the Women’s Development Fund to allow women to access the fund to venture into Agriculture and other business ventures.
The Feed Ghana Programme and the Nkoko Nketekete programmes launched by President John Dramani Mahama were also sustainable measures to empower farmers to live above the poverty line.
Madam Arthur promised her willingness serving the Shama Constituency as a humble, unifier and development-oriented leader.
Mr Wepia Addo Awal Adugwala, (PFAG), urged government to intensify efforts being made to clamp down on illegal mining activities in the country.
He said the galamsey menace was a threat to sustainable farming practices and urged government to continue with the arrest of illegal miners on water bodies and forest reserves.
Mr Awal Adugwala said the Association would call on government to equip farmers with the necessary farm tools, equipment and other inputs to produce more food for Ghana to become self-sufficient.
Mr Awal Adugwala lauded government’s initiatives in Agriculture such as the Feed Ghana Programme and others.
Mr Abass Muhammed, the Shama District Director of Agriculture, said Shama had a vast land yet to be utilised for agricultural purposes and thanked the MP for boosting rice farming production in the area.
He said only two extension officers were in the district and appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture to post more extension officers to Shama.
Mr Paul Denis Dentu, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Shama, noted that Agriculture held the key to survival of the nation.
He said the district would continue to team up with the MP to give Agriculture the needed push and asked farmers to be proud of their work to produce more food to feed the nation.
Nana Afo Kweku II, Chief of Ohiamadwen and the Shama District Focal Person, said the gesture by Madam Emelia Arthur in less than four months in government, was a testament of proven leadership and good governance.
He said the farming inputs would go a long way to boost farming activities and increase yield to beat hunger.
Nana Afo Kweku II commended government for some initiatives in Agriculture and appealed to the Assembly to continue to support farmers to expand their base.
