Mr Roy Ayariga, Co-ordinator of
the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP) has observed that Ghana has a
huge potential to produce and process soya beans for local consumption
and export.
He therefore urged farmers and processors of the crop to draw up strategies to achieve the goal.
Mr Ayariga made the observation to the
Ghana News Agency in Tamale after a nationwide tour of farms belonging
to members of the National Alliance of Soya bean, to have first hand
information about the challenges and prospects of the Soya bean and
poultry industry.
The alliance comprise stakeholders mapped along the Soya bean value chain.
Membership include representatives of
the private sector such as Soya bean farmers, marketers, processors and
end-users while the public sector captured the Ministry of Food and
Agriculture (MOFA), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Food
Research Institute, Crop Research Institute and Savannah Agriculture
Research Institute, non-governmental organisations and other
donor-funded projects that promote Soya bean production, marketing and
utilisation.
Mr Ayariga said there is a huge demand
for Soya bean internationally, adding that the current production level
could not meet the expectation.
He asked farmers to recall the recent
food crisis that hit especially Northern Ghana and embrace soybean
production as it is best suited for the climatic conditions of area and
also improves soil fertility.
Mr Ayariga called on the industry
players to partner local farmers to step up the production of major
crops such as rice and Soya beans.
He noted that Soya bean is on the
priority list of crops being groomed by MOFA in collaboration with NRGP
through the block farms project.
Mr Ayariga visited Heritage Seeds
Company Limited, (HSCL) a brain child of the Alliance for a Green
Revolution in Africa (AGRA) where certified seeds that could serve as
the backbone of agriculture have been identified.
He encouraged the formation of seed companies to provide quality seeds for cultivation.
Mr Kouakou Djamongue, Administration and
Marketing Manager of HSCL said the company had acquired 800 acres of
land and had so far cultivated 150 acres of beans and 53 acres of maize
to produce certified seeds for farmers.
He said the company had invested more than GH¢60, 000.00 on the farm this year.
Mr Djamongue appealed to the government
to provide combine harvesters for such ventures to encourage the large
scale cultivation of crops.
He also called for more funding for the
expansion of large scale Soya bean farming and improvement of the road
network connecting farms for easier transportation of agricultural
produce.
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