The Atebubu-Amantin Municipality in the Bono East Region has laid down a comprehensive programme to increase rice cultivation under the government initiative to shore up rice production in the country.
About 400 acres has been allocated to the municipality whiles 594 bags of seed rice have already been provided under the initiative.
This was disclosed by the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Edward Owusu at the first ordinary meeting of the assembly for the year held in Atebubu this week.
To boost production of the crop, the MCE told the participants at the meeting that under the agriculture modernization program, government has made the New Holland, Massey Fergusson and Vertaco brands of tractors and their accessories available to farmers further urging them to contact the department of agriculture for acquisition.
Meanwhile, under the ‘rearing for food and jobs’ initiative, government is in the process of supplying 100 farmers in the Atebubu-Amantin municipality with day old chicks in a bid to promote poultry production, report from the Assembly indicate.
Background
Early this year, Ghana received technical assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to commence the implementation of the Sustainable Development of Rain-fed Lowland Rice Production Project Phase II. This follow the success of phase I of the project, which ended in 2014 and was renewed for another five years, but did not start because the parties involved needed adequate time to prepare and plan.
The project is expected to boost the various varieties of rice that can withstand drought and establish a complete value-chain for rice cultivation, processes, packaging and marketing in the country.
