Director of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), Dr. Stephen Nutsugah, has disclosed that even though the country is likely to half poverty and hunger by 2015, more efforts is required from government to improve agriculture.
He indicated that the country still faced significant challenges in sustaining and accelerating agricultural growth to meet the target of 6.0 per cent agricultural growth per year.
The Director was speaking at a field day for farmers at Cheshegu in the Tolon/Kumbungu District of the Northern Region which enabled the farmers to interact with stakeholders in the agriculture research sector.
It was organized by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) Soil Health Project and attended also by USAID, DANIDA, and IFAD.
He called for serious investment in providing irrigation facilities like dams and pumping machines to encourage all year cultivation of crops. This he said must be assisted with improved seeds, fertilizer, affordable agro-chemicals as well as easy access to extension services.
He was however optimistic that the efforts of CSIR-SARI would go along way to benefit the farmers to achieve higher yield, adding, the institution will continue to research and strengthen organizational structures and processes for enhancing service delivery.
District Chief Executive of Tolon/Kumbungu, Mr. Iddi-Manzah Mahama, bemoaned the level of importation of cereals and other crops which are grown in the country as negatively affecting the agriculture sector and called for more initiatives to change the situation and make agriculture prestigious to attract more people.
Ghanadistricts.com/Shirimori Dominic
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