RESEARCH EXTENSION LINKAGE COMMITTEE HOLDS MEETING AT BECHEM

The research extension linkage committee of the Tano South Municipality has organized stakeholders’ meeting to explain the major problems hindering agricultural activities in the Municipality and also used the meeting to solicit views on the priority needs of farmers to make the Tano South agric department prepares its 2020 annual work plan.

The meeting which held at Bechem Pentecost church  saw dignitaries like Hon John Dadzie, the Presiding Member for Tano South Municipal Assembly, Hon Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for Tano South, Mr. Kingsley Nyame, the Ahafo Regional Director for Agric, Mr. Richard Assan Asare Donkor, the Bono Regional Director for Agric and Mr. Kyei-Baffour Owusu- Ahaw,  the Tano South Municipal Director for Agric. 

The first picture above indicates  dignitaries whilst the second one depicts participants at the programme

In a short but impressive opening address, Hon John Dadzie, the Presiding Member for Tano South Municipal Assembly thanked all participants for making time out of their busy schedule to attend the programme and stressed that since the meeting was significant to the development of the Municipality, he urged all and sundry to contribute their quota to make the programme a success. Hon Dadzie said agriculture had contributed significantly to Ghana’s economy and for the matter government had introduced planting for food and jobs to make Ghana to be able to produce more foodstuffs for sale to make the country acquires more monies to undertake other developmental projects.

In another development, Mr. Kyei-Baffour Owusu-Ahaw, the Municipal Agric Director said the purpose of the meeting was to assist the Tano South Department of Agric and the stakeholders to review 2018 work plan on problems confronting farmers in the Municipality. 

Tano South Municipal Agric Director addressing the participants

Mr. Kyei stressed that the meeting would also offer opportunity for department of Agric to collate views on the priority needs of farmers to enable the department prepares its 2020 annual work plan to be used in the Municipality. He said, no department could work effectively without policy document and urged all participants to support the chairman to make him achieve an intent to which the meeting was organized.

Mr. Richard Assan Asare Donkor, the Bono Regional Director for Agric said this important meeting had taken place in Ahafo, Bono and Bono East Regions to make farmers and other civil society organizations contributed to the government’s decision making processes to ensure department of Agric gets credible policy document to address some of the challenges confronting the agricultural sector in the aforementioned regions and urged extension officers to do all they could to educate farmers on the modern methods of agricultural practices to make them obtain higher yields whilst Mr. Kingsley Nyame, the Ahafo Regional Director for Agric advised extension officers to submit their activity reports on timely manner for onwards submission to the other authorities to enhance policy formulation.

Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for Tano South said sixty-five percent (65 %) of Ghana’s population could be described as farmers and needed to be enrolled on pension schemes and informed the Tano South Municipal Director for Agric and his office to play a leading role to make government under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to introduce pension scheme for farmers in the country especially the Tano South Municipality.  Hon. Takyi stressed that government would not leave any stone unturned when it comes to  the distribution of  resources and reiterated that Bechem town roads had been awarded for contract by government and urged all citizens to play their role to support government  implement its policies and programmes in all sectors of the economy.

                                 

MCE for Tano South Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi addressing participants

Hon. Takyi said ‘’lack of knowledge, my people perish’’  and emphasized  that most  farmers  had abused their farm products with chemicals and eventually had negative impact on them and other people and used the occasion to inform farmers to adopt traditional methods of farming.

The facilitators took participants through various presentations like the activities of research extension linkage committee, pest and diseases control, application of chemicals and fertilizers on farms and modern methods of agricultural practices.     

KINGS FOUNDATION CENTER OF EXCELLENCE INAUGURATES LIBRARY FACILITY AT BECHEM

A library with twenty (20) Computers has been inaugurated at Bechem in the Tano South Municipality of the Ahafo Region.

The programme saw in attendance Mr. Kingsley Owusu Achiaw, the Chief Executive Officer of Kings Foundation, Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, Omanhene of Bechem Tradional Area, H.E. Dr. Ambassador Erieka Bennett, the Head of Mission Diaspora African Forum, Hon. Collins OffinamTakyi, the MCE for Tano South, Hon. John Dadzie, the Presiding Member for Tano South and Hon. Ernest Kwarteng, the MCE for Tano North

In a speech, Mr. Kingsley Owusu Achiaw, the Chief Executive Officer of Kings Foundation said, it was the vision of  Omanhene of Bechem Traditional Area to construct ultra modern library for the people of Bechem and its environs over the years and since Omanhene had collaborated with him, they had been able to build the facility and promised to work hard to ensure the facility is resourced with the needed materials to help teachers and other organizations to conduct more research on problems confronting their organizations and other sectors of the Ghana’s economy.

He said Bechem could boost of having training college and other second cycle institutions and hinted that the availability of the facility would go a long way to assist students and informed authorities of Municipal Assembly to maintain the facility when the need arises to make it serves its intended purposes.

 

The Chief Executive Officer for Kings Foundation addressing the gathering

Mr. Achiaw said, he would continue to do his social responsibility’s work to make students in the Municipality acquire quality education as expected to make them become good future leaders and thanked government under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo – Addo for introducing free senior high school education policy to increase enrolment figures in the various second cycles institutions and also helped to reduce some of the financial problems on parents. He thanked Her Excellency Ambassador Erieka Bennett for supporting Bechem United football club and other residents both in kind and cash.

In a short but impressive speech, the Head of Mission Diaspora African Forum Her Excellency Ambassador Dr.Erieka Bennett said, she had brought some books from the United State to be donated to the Library to help improve quality education in the Municipality.  

Her Excellency Ambassador Dr. Erieka Bennett speaking at the function

In another development, Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for Tano South thanked Mr Kingsley Owusu Achiaw and Her Excellency Ambassador Dr. Erieka Bennett for extending their gesture to the residents of Bechem and its environs and also honoured their pledge by completing the library facility at Bechem and thanked all and sundry for making time out of their busy schedule to attend the programme. Hon. Takyi said since library has been commissioned, it had become property for the Municipality and informed younger generation to make good use of it to make it serves its intended purposes.

Hon. Takyi said, most of the challenges confronting Tano South Municipality could not be solved individually and urged residents in the Municipality as a matter of urgency come together as one people with one common destiny and tried to find antidotes to the problems to make the Municipality develops and hinted that he had collaborated with Hon. Ernest Kwarteng, the MCE for Tano North to roll out policy to ensure teachers in the Municipalities are motivated to ensure they impart their technical skill and knowledge to the students.

MCE for Tano South speaking at the programme

Nana Fosu Gyeabou Akoto II, the Omanhene of Bechem Traditional Area who chaired the function congratulated Mr. Kingsley Owusu Achiaw for executing this beautiful edifice to the people of Bechem and its environs and promised to take care of the facility and put it into good use.

AGRIC EXTENSION OFFICERS RECEIVE MOTORBIKES

In as much as government wants to modernize agriculture in Ghana to ensure the sector becomes attractive for both younger and older generations to invest their resources, government under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has released ten (10) brown new Galaxy Motorbikes to extension unit of the department of Agriculture to enhance the work of the extension officers in Tano South Municipality.

The motorbikes which were commissioned and distributed to the extension officers at the forecourt of the department of agriculture saw dignitaries like Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for Tano South, Hon. John Dadzie, the Presiding Member for Tano South Municipal Assembly, Mr Kyei-Baffour Owusu –Achaw, the Municipal Agric Director, Agric Extension Officers and some Officials of the Assembly.

        Picture up indicates the motorbikes whilst MCE for Tano South handling the motorbikes to the Municipal Agric Director

In a short but impressive opening address, Mr Kyei-Baffour Owusu-Achaw, the Tano South Municipal Agric Director thanked MCE for Tano South and other officers for making time out of their busy schedule to attend the programme and hinted that government had released ten (10) brown new Galaxy motorbikes to the extension unit ofthe department of agriculture, Tano South to help field officersreach farmers at hard to reach areas in the Municipality and educate them on modern methods of agricultural practices to makefarmersobtain higher yields during the major and minor farming seasons. 

The Municipal Agric Director addressing participants at the programme

Mr Kyei said government had introduced planting for food and jobs programme seeking to make Ghana achieves self- sufficiency in food production and stressed that the released of the motorbikes by government would go a long way to enhance the work of the extension officers and promised that the department would use the motorbikes for their intended purposes and put them into good use. 

Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for Tano South said he was very happy about the  intervention modules government had introduced in agricultural sector to assist farmers acquire bumper harvest during farming seasons and emphasized that government planting for food and jobs programme had been recognized and supported by Canadian government and informed all officers in the Municipality to educate other residents in the Municipality on government policies and programmes to make government achieves an intent to which the programmes were introduced.

                                                                 The MCE for Tano South speaking at the function

 

Hon Takyi stressed that when Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government assumed office they had been able to employ extension workersin the Municipality and urged them to impart their technical skills and knowledge to farmersto make them produce more foodstuffs and hinted that Tano south Municipal Assembly had collaborated with the department of agriculture to embark on oil palm nursery project of which the seedlings would be distributed to farmers free of charge to boost agriculture in the Municipality.

On government industrialization policy, Hon Takyi said government had introduced different intervention programmes which could help farmers to produce more foodstuffs to feedindustries and the nation and informed all and sundry to support government implement its policies and programmes.

COCOA FARMERS SCHOOLED ON WAYS TO IMPROVE YIELDS AT BECHEM

 The cocoa farmers’ associations in Ahafo Ano North East, Ahafo and Bono Regions converged at Bechem in the Tano South Municipality to receive education on the application of fertilizers, methods of controlling pest and disease and other farming practices.

The programme which held at Bechem Roman Catholic park saw dignitaries like Hon Benjamin Yeboah Sekere, the deputy minister for Ahafo Region and Member of Parliament for Tano south Constituency, Hon Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for Tano South, Hon Ernest Kwarteng, the MCE for Tano North, Hon Bukari Zakari Anaba, the former district Chief Executive for Tano South, Mr. Amakyi Dede, the Bono Regional Cocoa Health Extension Officer, Mr Gyamfi Kumaning, the best cocoa farmer for 2018 and Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, the Omanhene of Bechen Traditional Council. 

                                                      Some Dignitaries and participants seated at the function 

In a short but impressive address, Mr Amakyi Dede, the Bono Regional Cocoa Health Extension Officer thanked all those who came from all walks of life to attend the programme and hinted that since cocoa farmers play a significant role in the economy of Ghana, there is the need for them to be educated on good farming practices to ensure they obtain high yields. He said fertilizer subsidy had been enjoyed by farmers over the years and stressed that government under the leadership of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had also subsidized fertilizers’ price where cocoa farmers are allowed to pay 20% instant price per a bag of fertilizer and pay the rest of money during the minor and major cocoa farming seasons.

                             The Bono Regional Cocoa Health Extension Officer speaking at the function 

Mr Amakyi said government would find it difficult to identify challenges of individual farmer and urged them to form cooperative society and submit their grievances holistically  to government and informed them also to follow all farming practices which would be given to them by the extension officers.

The MCE for Tano South, Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi said the Mass Cocoa spraying exercise was introduced under the leadership of former President John Agyekum Kuffour and hinted that the programme had been sustained over the years by successive governments. Hon Takyi said His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the President of the Republic of Ghana had also introduced pollination exercise to augment the existing programmes to make farmers obtain higher yields during the cocoa farming seasons. He said Ghana and Cote’ De’vore  produce many tons of cocoa and that matter; His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had planned to collaborate with Cote’ De’vore  President to set cocoa price  to address the current cocoa price which had recorded significant drop in the world market.

                                                           MCE for Tano South, addressing the gathering

Hon Benjamin Yeboah Sekyer who is the deputy Minister for Ahafo Region and MP for Tano South Constituency used the occasion to catalogue some of the achievements of government and reiterated that government under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo would continue to distribute national resources equally and equitably to all MMDA’s to make  authorities execute the needed projects aimed to improve the living standards of the rural folks and urged farmers also to form association to make them to be identified and provided with farm inputs by government.

                                                   Hon. Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere addressing the gathering 

Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, the Omanhene of Bechem Traditional Council who chaired the programme urged government to support farmers with the necessary farm inputs and stressed that the availability of farm inputs will help farmers to cultivate their lands throughout the year to produce more food to feed the country.

                                           Omanhene of Bechem Traditional Council speaking at the function