The Crop Research Institute (CRI) of Council for Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR) has unveiled a newly efficient method of cultivating rice all year long to farmers in the Bono Region.

“CSIR crop research institute is doing what they are supposed to do as a research organisation, always trying to bring out the best agricultural practices so everyone including stakeholders, government, researchers, farmers, and agriculturists themselves should all play their part,” the spokesperson of CSIR Solomon Kwaku Boakye said.

He is therefore calling on the government and stakeholders within the agricultural sector to make available equipment and adequate resources for rice farmers to make Ghana self-sufficient in rice production.

“The farmers need a lot of resources to work with, some of them can fend for themselves, some also need government interventions, equipment like power tillers, threshers and harvesters are examples.”

Boakye also stressed the need for rice farmers to establish cooperatives to ease access to loans and support to help boost their operations.

“I will advise the farmers to put themselves into groups that will help them sought for funding for credit facilities.”

A priority
According to the Bono regional director of MoFA, Dennis Abugri Amenga, rice production is a priority for the government and the potential is huge.

“Rice production is a priority to government because it’s a food commodity and the potential of the country to produce rice is so huge we are capable of not just feeding ourselves but even exporting it. The regional minister has taken this seriously and has even had communications with the MCEs to give the needed support to farmers to push rice production in the region.

“So, we are looking at the next two or three years rice production will be a huge gain, we are in February yet there’s rice on the ground, if we are able to manage our water regime we can even produce rice throughout the year.”

Source:asaaseradio.com