3,485 farmers register for the PFJ programme

A total of 3,485 farmers in the Central Region, have registered to benefit from the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme.
They are made up of 2,985 males and 550 females.
Mr Gershon Wodzrah, Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) announced this at the Regional Co-coordinating Council meeting with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and Heads of Department in Cape Coast on Tuesday.
The programme is an intervention and initiative of the government to generate more wealth in the agricultural sector, improve livelihood of farmers and fisherfolks and help grow the national economy.
Mr Wodrah said registration was ongoing and expressed the optimism that more interested farmers would benefit from the programme in the Region.
He said the region had so far received more than 100 tons of open pollinated and hybrid maize seeds and 26 tons have been supplied to farmers.
Additionally 16.16 tons of rice seeds have been received but seeds for vegetables are yet to be supplied under the programme.
He indicated that the region had taken stock of 28,877 bags of NPK and 15,487 bags of Urea fertilizers as of Friday, May 19.
Mr Wodrah expressed fear that the programme could be under threat due to the widespread invasion of army worms across the country.
The worms, he said had destroyed more than 1,350 hectares of maize farms in the region.
Mr Wodrah said MOFA had procured chemicals for intensive and sustained spraying exercise of farms against further devastation by the worms.
He announced that the spraying exercise would be carried out under the technical advice of MOFA and called on the district assemblies to support the exercise.
GNA

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