The Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu has disclosed that close to 60,000 cockerels, keets, layers and ruminants have been distributed to farmers in the Upper East Region as part of the government’s Rearing for Food and Jobs programme.
Rearing for Food and Jobs (RFJ) is one of the modules of the government’s flagship agricultural program christened Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ). The RFJ is a five-year programme running from 2019 to 2023.
The objective of the RFJ is to develop a competitive and more efficient livestock industry that increases domestic production, reduces importation of livestock products and contributes to employment generation and to the improvement of livelihoods of livestock value chain actors and the national economy. This module was officially launched by H. E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo at Wa in the Upper West Region on June 25th, 2019.
It is also aimed at addressing issues associated with livestock development in the country including, but not limited to; poor genetic quality of breeds used by farmers, poor nutrition and inadequate water resources for livestock, animal health, poor and inadequate livestock housing structures/equipment, inadequate agricultural extension service and developing and promoting the livestock value chain.
The Minister said this when he took his turn at the State of the Region Report series at the Ministry of Information’s Press Centre in Accra.
He disclosed that between 2019 and 2022, 22,600 keets had been distributed to farmers. 21,720 layers along with 11,000 cockerels were given to farmers. 2,000 sheep and 530 ruminants were also distributed. In all, 1,525 farmers have benefited from the programme.
“These projects are very key and important in the region because it goes to the fabric of the society, the basic people who are living and doing agriculture in the region,” he said.
Meanwhile, the region, under the Modernising Agrculture Ghana (MAG) programme, 19 pickups and 222 motorbikes were distributed to Agric Extension Agents along with Municipal and District Agricultural Departments.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
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