The Minister of Meals and Agriculture, Mr Eric Opoku, has expressed concern over the extreme scarcity of agricultural extension officers within the nation.
A problem he described as a significant impediment to reaching national meals safety and bettering productiveness amongst smallholder farmers.
Talking on the presentation of 150 motorbikes to agricultural extension officers in Accra, Mr Opoku acknowledged that the present farmer-to-extension officer ratio within the nation stands at one officer to roughly 1,500 farmers, far exceeding the internationally accepted commonplace of 1 officer to 500 farmers.
“This example is solely unsustainable, no individual will be efficient beneath such circumstances. With out satisfactory extension companies, even the very best agricultural insurance policies and analysis breakthroughs won’t attain our farmers,” he lamented.
He confused that agricultural extension officers served as important intermediaries between analysis establishments and farmers, disseminating important information on improved seeds, pest management, soil well being, and post-harvest dealing with.
Nonetheless, he underlined that the dearth of satisfactory human resources and mobility has hindered the supply of those vital companies, thereby limiting the potential of the nation’s agriculture sector.
Moreover, Mr Opoku explained that the Ministry, as a part of measures to deal with this hole, was recruiting further Feed Ghana Coordinators who can be stationed in districts throughout the counattempt to assist extension officers. These new officers, he emphasised, would work beneath the supervision of district administrators to enhance farmer engagement, training, and the uptake of modern farming methods.
To reinforce the mobility of officers to distant areas, the Minister offered 150 motorbikes to be distributed to extension workers and the incoming Feed Ghana Coordinators. Out of the 150 motorbikes, 30 have been specifically modified with gender-friendly features to assist feminine extension officers.
“These motorbikes will assist our officers transfer from farm to farm, making certain that no farmer is left behind. They’re a vital useful resource that can allow officers to achieve distant and hard-to-access farming communities throughout the nation,” he defined.
Mr Opoku urged the officers to make good use of the motorbikes, including that they have been procured utilizing public assets, together with loans secured within the title of the Ghanaian individuals.
“Allow us to use these bikes efficiently in order that Ghanaians will see the influence of our work and the worth of the investments made on this sector,” he suggested.
Furthermore, the Minister disclosed that the Ministry had registered a complete of 42,822 farmer cooperatives nationwide inside a really brief interval and hoped to register extra.
These cooperatives, he explained, would allow the government to raised coordinate extension companies by grouping farmers in accordance with crop sort and placement.
He, subsequently, known as on all extension officers and stakeholders to rededicate themselves to the duty forward, because the nation seeks to construct a resilient agricultural sector able to supporting native industries and contributing to the proposed 24-hour economic system agenda.
BY CECILIA YADA LAGBA
