The Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamugri Atanga, has announced that five Farmer Service Centres (FSCs) will be established across the region to provide comprehensive support to farmers under the government’s new Farmer Service Centres initiative. He made this announcement during the Regional Farmers’ Day celebration held at the Bolgatanga Senior High School in the Talensi District, where he delivered a keynote address.
According to the Minister, the FSCs will serve as one-stop hubs offering mechanisation services, agricultural inputs, financial support, market linkages, extension services, and capacity building. The selected beneficiary districts are Builsa South, Bongo, Kassena-Nankana Municipal, Garu/Tempane, and Talensi.
Mr. Akamugri explained that the establishment of the centres forms part of the government’s broader Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA) and the newly introduced Feed Ghana Programme, aimed at enhancing productivity, supporting dry-season farming, and building resilient agricultural systems.
He noted that through the national initiative, 50 districts across Ghana will receive a total of 4,400 pieces of modern agricultural machinery, including tractors, combine harvesters, sprayers, seed drills, and fertilizer spreaders. These, he said, will boost efficiency in production, harvesting, and processing.
Touching on food production in the region, the Minister stated that 8,223 farmers have been captured on the Ghana Agricultural Aggregation Platform and will receive necessary inputs for all-year farming. He also highlighted the distribution of over 31,000 bags of fertilizer and 100 repurposed water pumps seized from illegal mining sites to support irrigation.
Mr. Atanga reiterated the government’s directive for all schools to purchase locally produced rice, maize, chicken, and eggs, adding that consuming Ghanaian products is critical to strengthening the cedi, reducing imports, and empowering local farmers.
The Upper East Regional Director of Agriculture, Alhaji Zakaria Fuseini, also confirmed that preparations for the FSCs have begun, with the registration of farmer-based organisations underway. He encouraged farmers, especially women, youth, and vulnerable groups, to take advantage of the Nkoko Nketenkete backyard poultry initiative to boost nutrition and household income.
He further emphasised the region’s progress in achieving food sufficiency, supported by major irrigation schemes at Vea, Tono, and Tamni, and ongoing rehabilitation of small-scale dams.
The Minister praised the resilience of farmers in the region and stressed that transforming agriculture into a modern, commercial, and market-driven sector is crucial for economic growth and job creation.
This year’s Farmers’ Day was celebrated under the theme “Feed Ghana, Eat Ghana, Secure the Future.”
The Chief of the Pelungu Traditional Area in the Nabdam District, Naab Serig Sore Sobil IV, was crowned the Overall Best Farmer in the Upper East Region at the 2025 Regional Farmers’ Day celebration.
A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah
