The Techiman South Municipal Assembly, Department of Agriculture, has started the distribution of farm inputs to some one thousand, one hundred and eleven (1,111) farmers within the municipality.
The distribution of those farm inputs, which falls under the input grant fertilizer systems, is part of the the Planting for Food and Jobs Phase 2.0 (PFJ2.0) project, which is a flagship project by the NPP led government.
As part of efforts to encourage farmers to register on the PFJ2.0 platform, the government will give out free farm inputs (input grant fertilizer system) to the first 200,000 farmers nationwide who have successfully completed their registration.
A total of 1,111 farmers are expected to benefit from the free input grant fertilizer system in the Techiman South Municipality.
The Municipal Chief Executive of Techiman South Municipal Assembly, Hon. Benjamin Yaw Gyarko in an interview with the media, said “what we are seeing today is part of the the Planting for Food and Jobs Phase 2.0 project.
“1,111 farmers are expected to benefit from the input grant fertilizer system in the Techiman South Municipality, this distribution is just the first phase of the input grant fertilizer system.”
According to him, although the PFJ2.0 is an initiative to support all farmers within the country, only the first 200,000 farmers that completed their registration on the PFJ2.0 system will benefit from the input grant fertilizer system.
He emphatically stated that farmers who will benefit from the input grant fertilizer system will not pay anything to the government, neither in cash nor in kind.
“The first 200,000 farmers nationwide who have successfully complete their registration are those that will benefit from the input grant fertilizer and on the record, unlike the input Credit Fertilizer System where farmers will pay for the fertilizers with their farm inputs, those who will benefit from the input grant fertilizer system will not pay anything as government is giving it to them for free.”
Hon. Benjamin Yaw Gyarko continued, “I’m very pleased with what I have seen here so far because most of the farmers who are here for the fertilizer are in their youthful ages and this means the PFJ 2.0 project has been widely accepted by Ghanaians especially the youth in the country.
On his part, the Techiman South Municipal Director of Agriculture, Mr. Stephen Aidoo, disclosed that, under the input grant fertilizer system, each beneficiary farmer will get 2 bags of 50kg NPK fertilizer, 1 bag of 50kg Ureal and 10kg of improve maize seeds which will be able to cultivate 1 acre of farm land.
“Today is a happy day for farmers in the Techiman South Municipality because we are sharing the input grant fertilized under the PFJ 2.0 to some farmers in the municipality.
“We are looking forward to serving 220 farmers a day, farmers who will benefit from the input grant fertilizer will get two 50kg bags of NPK fertilizer, 1 50kg bag of Ureal and 10kg of improved maize seeds which will be able to cultivate 1 acre of farm.
Mr. Aidoo assured farmers that didn’t benefit from the input grant fertilizer system that the government will soon start the input credit fertilizer system, where farmers will be able to purchase farm inputs and pay with their farm inputs after harvest.
“Aside from the distribution of the input grant fertilizer which farmers will not pay for it, the modality of the PFJ 2.0 allows farmers through their extension officers to visit the PFJ 2.0 portal and request for additional inputs and that will fail under the input credit fertilizer system.
Touching on the credit fertilizer system, he said, “under the Input Credit Fertilizer system, farmers will pay for the input through kind, so they will use their farm produce to pay for the inputs they will buy on the system.
Mr. Aidoo assured the farmers that agriculture exertion officers in the municipality will frequently visit their farms to provide good agronomic practices to ensure bummer harvest.
“Under the Planting for Food and Jobs Phase 2.0 modality, the extension service have been improved, the Agriculture Extension Officers were those in charge of registering farmers on the platform, they will also assist the farmers in requesting for the inputs and they will also provide good agronomic practices (gaps) throughout the farming season to ensure that the farmers will get a bumper harvest
The program, which is designed to enhance food security and improve farmers’ livelihoods, aims to increase crop yields and ensure a stable food supply.
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
