The Ningo Prampram District Assembly (NiPDA) has held a forum on challenges farmers faced in the passing year and how to improve upon their yield under its Research Extension Linkage Committee(RELC).

Heads of zonal level farmers' associations met with other stakeholders in the value chain like transporters, processors, marketers, financiers, and irrigators, to think through the issues.

In a welcoming address, District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ningo Prampram, Mr. Jonathan Teye Doku, observed that government was addressing the challenges faced by farmers in the District.

Mr. Doku said most of the time, "Carting their produce from the farms to the communities has always been a problem, so we are liaising with urban roads to make local roads motorable to ease off that burden."

Mr. Doku informed that NiPDA was creating markets at various points in the District so that local farmers would sell at home and not send their produce to faraway markets to sell at give away prices.

The DCE indicated that, under the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative, a number of seedlings and fertilizers had been distributed to local farmers.

He said the District would soon roll out the Planting for Export and Rural Development programme. He also indicated how the central government had helped the District by giving out outboard motors to the fisherfolk at a highly subsidized price.

Mr. Doku informed that government was looking at establishing centres to support agriculture development in the District which would among others offer subsidized agricultural implements.
The District Director of Agriculture at NiPDA, Mr. Prince Ofori-Boateng, said the agricultural potential of Ningo Prampram was very promising, hinting that, "The farmers are learning new technologies and that is actually boosting production.

"There are issues that are very difficult to combat, like rainfall patterns, climate change, so our sector is looking at adaptation to the issues so alongside the recurrence of all these issues, agriculture can still be sustainable."

Mr. Ofori-Boateng indicated that the research linkage meeting had been going on ever since the establishment of NiPDA "and year after year we appraise the previous year's work and then we look at the way forward. The issues that are not solved are brought forth to the following year."

Mr. Ofori-Boateng said, the exercise was working, "For example, even though army worm has not been eradicated completely, production is ongoing and the District has been recording a sturdy rise in the production figures."

He informed that land issues in Ningo Prampram were being discussied in various fora to mould an acceptable land use regime.

Mr. Ofori-Boateng advised the farmers to see agriculture authorities in the District as partners and work together with them to increase their yield.

The Research Extension Linkage Committee (RELC) is a mandate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and is held annually, starting from the zonal through the regional to the national level.

The farmers meet to discuss peculiar challenges in a growing season with the Department of Agriculture at the district level for solutions.

Some of the problems are solved at that point whilst others are referred to either extension, policy or social welfare. Those that are not solved go up to regional and national whilst basic technical issues are referred to researchers to come up with solutions.