The Akrofuom District Assembly has distributed about four thousand (4000) nursed coconut seedlings to farmers in the District to help increase coconut production.
The free distribution of the seedlings was in line with the government’s Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) initiative aimed at creating a sustainable raw material base for industries in the country.
The PERD initiative is also to help diversify farmers’ income through the cultivation of cash crops, not only to propel national economic growth, but also improve economic development in rural communities.
The District Agriculture Director, Mr. Richard Nyamekye, said about 150 farmers would receive the free nursed coconut seedlings, which were procured from the Assembly’s share of the Common Fund at a cost of GH₵ 20,000.00.
He revealed that in 2018, the Assembly distributed 15,000 nursed palm nuts seedlings, while a total of 25,000 cocoa seedlings were also distributed freely to cocoa farmers in the area in 2020.
He added that the Assembly was on course this year to nurse and distribute 10,000 malicia dwarf coconut seedlings of which 4000 had been distributed to the farmers.
The District Chief Executive, Hon. Maurice Jonas Woode, advised farmers to heed to the education and directives of Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) to help improve on their farm yields and incomes.
He said the PERD initiative would help provide raw materials for industries under the government’s One District One Factory program and also increase the country’s cash crop exports.
The Member of Parliament for the Akrofuom constituency, Hon. Alex Blankson, praised the government for introducing the PERD program.
He said discussions were going on to increase the seedlings to ensure that every interested farmer received the exact number of seedlings to plant.
Mr Albert Amissah, one of the farmer beneficiaries was full of praise for the Assembly and the government. He added that he was a beneficiary in the previous year and he was working in harmony with the AEAs and that has really increased the yields of his produce, advising all farmers to eotk eith AEAs.
The beneficiary farmers were selected from all the communities in the District.