The Techiman Municipal Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) in the Bono East Region has received 81,000 hybrid coconut seedlings from the Coconut Federation of Ghana (COCOFEG) for distribution to farmers.
This forms part of the government’s effort to scale up agribusiness, improve the livelihoods of Ghanaian farmers in the coconut sector, and stimulate economic growth.
The free coconut seedlings support, dubbed the Presidential Initiative in Agriculture and Agribusiness, was announced by President John Dramani Mahama this year and is being implemented in collaboration with COCOFEG, with Dr Peter Boamah Otukunor as its Director.
The Techiman Municipal MoFA Director, Mr Stephen Aidoo, told The Ghanaian Times that the distribution was a nationwide strategic government initiative funded by the Ghana Exim Bank to diversify Ghana’s export sector by boosting agribusiness and accelerating national economic growth.
He stated that the project had provided opportunities for interested smallholder and commercial farmers to register for seedlings to either expand or start their coconut farms.
Mr Aidoo explained that the initiative offered beneficiaries a sustainable livelihood opportunity through coconut cultivation, since coconut had immense potential to generate foreign exchange and promote agro-industrialisation in Ghana.
According to him, between August and October this year, 61,000 seedlings were received and distributed to registered farmers, while another 20,000 seedlings received in October were currently being distributed.
“So far, more than 500 small-scale and commercial farmers who registered have been served and are planting on about 1,000 acres of land in the Techiman Municipality,” he added.
He lauded the initiative, saying it had the potential to position Ghana not only as the leading producer of coconut in sub-Saharan Africa but also as a formidable force in the global coconut industry.
Mr Aidoo further indicated that three million hybrid coconut seedlings would be distributed to farmers and interested individuals across the country, adding that coconut was a crop that embodied resilience, versatility, and immense economic value, thriving in the global market.
FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH, TECHIMAN
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