NPP to boost agriculture with integrated approach – Bawumia assures farmers

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Created on Wednesday, 05 September 2012 00:00

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NPP to boost agriculture with integrated approach – Bawumia assures farmers

05 September 2012

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice-Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has assured farmers in the Brong Ahafo region and countrywide that, the Akufo-Addo administration would implement a holistic approach to agricultural development based on the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) module.   

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The NPP running-mate, who made the disclosure on Tuesday at Akokoa in the Atebubu-Amantin Constituency, further assured farmers that they would be major stakeholders in the NPP’s transformation agenda which would have as one of its keys, the boosting and modernization of agriculture.

Reacting to concerns raised by the chief of Akokoa on the need for farmers of the area to be given the needed support, Dr. Bawumia said “ when the NPP talks about transforming Ghana, it involves an urgent and irreplaceable desire to make lives better for farmers and boost agricultural production. With this in mind, the NPP would implement a tried and tested approach which tackles the problems faced by the agricultural industry holistically.

This approach would tackle the major constraints of agriculture like financing and credit, transportation, storage, the farming itself and marketing of the produce once harvested just like was witnessed under the Millennium Challenge Account, but this time on a more bigger and national scale” he added.

Dr. Bawumia reminded the farmers of how the erstwhile Kufuor administration imported thousands of tractors to help modernize agriculture. He said that these tractors were meant to relieve the burdens of farmers and bemoaned the fact that unfortunately, the plan by the former NPP administration had been skewed by the current administration with the tractors imported ending up not in the hands of the ordinary farmer.

The NPP running-mate promised farmers of the country that the NPP would reinstitute the original plan aimed at mechanizing agriculture in the country by establishing mechanization centres across the country to provide services to farmers at very low rates and on credit.

Dr. Bawumia was sad that under the current government, fertilizer prices had increased sharply, indicating that the sharp increase in fertilizer prices was yet another example of the harder Ghana, the government had succeeded in establishing. He informed the farmers that the NPP had plans to streamline and improve the fertilizer subsidy system. He noted that this would ensure that the real farmers get access to the inputs needed for optimum production.

The NPP Vice-Presidential Candidate also touched on the cocoa spraying programme instituted by the NPP administration and which had ensured a great increase in cocoa production. He described as unfortunate the partisanship which had taken hold of the cocoa spraying programme under the NDC government promising to rid the programme of any such partisanship when the NPP is elected.

Dr. Bawumia was accompanied on his tour by Dominic Nitiwul, MP for Bimbilla, MP for Binduri, Mr. Charles Bintim, former Minister under the Kufuor Administration, Moctar Bamba, National Organizer of the NPP, Anthony Karbo, National Youth Organizer, Sheik T.B. Damba, 2nd National Chairman of the NPP, Mr. Stephen Ntim, former Vice-Chairman of the NPP, Madam Rita Asobayere, former National Women’s organizer of the NPP, Mr. Cassius Osei-Poku, Parliamentary Candidate for the Atebubu-Amanting constituency.

The second day of the Brong Ahafo tour saw Dr. Bawumia visit communities such as Krokompe, Amantin, Akokoa, Dobedi Nkwanta, Jato Zongo, Atebubu, Garadima, Beposo and Nyomoase.

From: NPP Communications Directorate