Shama: Madam Emelia Arthur, Member of Parliament for Shama Constituency, has presented a combined harvester and a tractor valued at GHc1.3 million to the members of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) in the Shama district. She also donated 700 wellington boots, 100 bags of fertilizers, and 20 motorized sprayers to farmers in the district.
According to Ghana News Agency, the equipment was received by the National President of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Mr. Wepia Awal Adugwala, and the Shama District Focal person Nana Affo Kweku II, Chief of the Ohiamadwen community, on behalf of the farmers. This gesture was born out of consistent engagement between the MP, who is also the Minister of Fisheries, the focal person, and the PFAG to meet the critical needs of rice farmers in that community.
The agricultural machinery was acquired from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture on a hire purchase basis for use by rice farmers in the district to achieve Ghana’s long-term objective of becoming self-sufficient in rice production. The PFAG leadership in Shama also engaged the assembly to assist them with inputs, wellington boots, and cocoa spraying machines for their activities.
Commissioning the farming inputs at Ohiamadwen in the Shama Municipality, Madam Emelia Arthur reminded Ghanaians that Ghana is an agrarian economy and emphasized the importance of supporting farmers to contribute significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). She assured the farmers in Shama of the necessary support, particularly in rice farming, cocoa, and other food crops.
Madam Arthur noted that the NDC government built the dam on the River Window as part of the Inland Irrigation Project and Rice Processing Mill, but pollution of the river by illegal mining activities posed serious threats to the irrigation system. Some farmers had to buy water to irrigate their farmlands. Under her ‘Agricultural Improvement Programme’, she promised further support for farmers.
She also mentioned that President John Dramani Mahama would open the Agricultural Mechanization Center for the first batch of fifty farming communities. Additionally, Parliament had approved the Women’s Development Fund to allow women to access funds for agriculture and other business ventures. Initiatives such as the Feed Ghana Programme and the Nkoko Nketekete programmes were launched by President Mahama to empower farmers economically.
Mr. Wepia Addo Awal Adugwala urged the government to intensify efforts to clamp down on illegal mining activities. He highlighted the threat illegal mining poses to sustainable farming practices and called for more government support in equipping farmers with necessary tools and inputs.
Mr. Abass Muhammed, the Shama District Director of Agriculture, expressed gratitude to the MP for boosting rice farming in the area and requested more agricultural extension officers. Mr. Paul Denis Dentu, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Shama, emphasized the key role of agriculture in the nation’s survival and pledged to work with the MP to promote agricultural development.
Nana Afo Kweku II praised Madam Emelia Arthur’s leadership, noting that her efforts in less than four months in office demonstrated good governance. He commended the government for agricultural initiatives and called for continued support to help farmers expand their operations.
