The Ashanti Region has since the launch of government flagship programme Planting for Food and Jobs in 2017 registered six hundred and 39 thousand, seven hundred and 51 volunteers.
The first eight months of this year alone recorded two hundred 18 thousand, five hundred and 35 people. The interest shown by the public in the policy and the success chalked so far accounted largely to the high production of food in the market and for export.
The Ashanti Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture Reverend John Manu disclosed this at the launch of Obuasi Goes Agro Programme at Obuasi.
The Obuasi Agro Project targeting cereal, vegetables, animal, and poultry production is a three year Agricultural Development Intervention initiative which is part of Anglogold Ashanti Social Management plan to contribute to the socio-economic development of the company’s catchment areas.
Mr. Manu said the involvement of the people mainly farmers in the out grower projects is in line with government policy intervention to create and build resilient food chain in Obuasi in particular and Ghana as a whole. He disclosed that Ghana’s cereal production rate now stands at three-point -eight million metric tons, representing an annual growth rate of six point zero-eight percent.
Mr. Manu said government’s introduction of a greenhouse initiative has an objective of producing vegetables crops that will be accepted at the international market and urged Anglohold Ashanti to join the green house project to enhance vegetable production.
The Senior Manager of Anglogold Ashanti in charge of Sustainability, Emmanuel Baidoo said the company has invested 417 thousand dollars in the Agro Project, and currently about 90 community members have been engaged on their one hundred acre acquired farm land for the project.
He however expressed concern about the re-emergence of illegal small scale mining on the lands earmarked for the agro project and appealed to the chiefs and authorities to help fight the menace.
The Kurontihene of Adansi Fomena Nana Okyere Nkwantanan said the chiefs are ready to release land for the expansion of the project to cover more people.
Story by: Thomas Adjei
