SIAKON MEDIA

"Ghana is also moving from the position of a net importer into a net exporter and will therefore prefer tractor companies that can provide more than the four-bladed ploughs to facilitate their commercial ventures."

Vice President Mahama made the call when a delegation from John Deere Limited, an American Tractor Manufacturing Company, paid a courtesy call on him to announce their return to Ghana after suspending their services for so many years.

He said that farmers face perennial problems regarding the use of tractors and high cost of spare parts and called on the company to make their spare parts and after sales available to facilitate the activities of farmers.

The Vice President said Ghana had a lot of fallow and arable land that was underutilized due to inadequate machinery and called on them to come out with tractors that could stand the test of time.

"Most farmers in those days had problems with your tractors because either your parts were quite expensive or they were unavailable and I will implore you to provide them with technical service to make them acquire full benefit of your products."

Mr. David Everitt, President of the Company, promised to manufacture effective tractors that would meet their food production targets for domestic consumption and export.

He gave the assurance that the company would provide technical and financial support to the government of Ghana in other fields rather than the provision of tractors and after sales services.

GNA

Ayariga: I am innocent in purchase of tractors

Accra, Oct. 4, GNA - Presidential Spokesman Mahama Ayariga has denied any wrongdoing in the purchase of tractors to establish a Mechanisation Centre (MC) for farmers in Bawku in the Upper East Region, saying everything he had done was above board.

"To the best of my knowledge of the enrolment procedures under Agriculture Mechanisation Centre Scheme (AMSEC), nothing illegal has happened in the processes of my involvement in the setting up of the MC in Bawku," he said in a detailed statement explaining his side of the transaction.

This follows media reports claiming he did not follow the right procedures and the filing of a petition against him at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).

Mr Ayariga said following the government's importation of tractors and other agriculture equipment to be made available to Ghanaians under affordable arrangements, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) devised the AMSEC, under which anyone intending to provide tractor services to farmers was allowed to enter into an arrangement to purchase five tractors which would be used to establish a MC in any district of Ghana.

"The MC is obliged to provide tractor services to any farmer within its catchment area at fixed rates per acre. The person who entered into the arrangement with MOFA is, however, responsible for ensuring that over a period of five years the total cost of the tractors is paid to MOFA," he said, adding that MOFA, however, had supervisory powers over the MCs and constantly monitored their operations.

Mr Ayariga said he was unaware of this scheme when he applied to acquire two tractors for use by farmers in Bawku to have access to tractor services at the most affordable cost.

He said his application for two tractors was approved and he was asked to make the deposit payment of 9,000 Ghana cedis for each of them whilst the rest would be paid over three years.

"I paid the deposit for one of them and was raising funds to pay for the other when I chanced on the Minister of Agriculture at the Presidency who asked me what I wanted those tractors for. He had seen my name among the list of applicants.

Mr Ayariga said when he explained the scheme he was putting in place in Bawku, the minister mentioned the AMSEC project and said it would enable the scheme to have more tractors, whilst the terms of payment was better suited for the purpose.

He said he subsequently applied to have his initial arrangement to purchase two tractors converted to the AMSEC scheme.

The application was approved by the Director of the Agriculture Engineering Services Division of MOFA who asked that he made an additional payment of 1,000 Ghana cedis to meet the 10,000 Ghana cedis minimum deposit requirement to qualify for release of the tractors under the AMSEC scheme.

Mr Ayariga said the 1,000 Ghana cedis was paid on April 15, 2009 and on April 16, 2009 he signed the agreement with MOFA under the AMSEC scheme "binding myself to comply with the terms of the AMSEC scheme and ensure that the tractors are paid for in accordance with the payment schedule".

He said the total cost of the tractors under the AMSEC scheme was 90,000 Ghana cedis whilst the tractors must be paid for within a five- year period.

Mr Ayariga said the Management Team (MT) that he set up the tractor services, commenced business in Bawku on May 15, and ran throughout the ploughing period of the season.

He said a report of the MT indicated that about 500 farmers comprising farmers' groups of varied political persuasions and ethnic backgrounds in Bawku East, Bawku West and Garu-Tempane had benefited from the programme and a total of 1,046 acres of land were ploughed within a period of two months.

Mr Ayariga said 797 acres were ploughed in Bawku, 16 acres in Pusiga, 39 acres in Binduri, 85 in Garu Tempane and 109 in Bawku West. He said the cost of tractor service per acre provided by the Mechanisation Centre in Bawku was 12 Ghana cedis per acre, describing it as "the cheapest in the whole of Ghana this year".

"A market survey revealed that the average cost of procuring the service from other tractor operators in Bawku was 25.00 Ghana cedis per acre.

Mr Ayariga said he had not made any profits under the scheme and his motive had not been to provide tractor services to farmers with the aim of financial gain.

He reiterated that nothing illegal had happened during the formal processes and "the responsibility to ensure that within five years the total cost of the tractors, which stands at 90,000 Ghana cedis, is paid to MOFA still remains mine and mine only".

  Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Accra, Aug.17, GNA - Mr Mahama Ayariga, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, on Tuesday visited Interplast Ghana limited to acquaint himself with their operations.

He was led on the tour by Mr Hayssam Fakhry, Managing Director and Mr El-Hadji Samudini, General Manager of Exports after a close door meeting.

Mr Fakhry said the company as a premier producer of plastic products encouraged the purchase of high standard raw materials for manufacturing their products to meet required international standards.

He said the major raw material for the production of pipes and polyethylene, was a thermoplastic material made from petroleum and purchased from companies in Sweden, Belgium, Slovakia and United States of America.

Mr Fakhry said management was determined to produce quality products to generate profits to boost the trade and industry sector of the economy. 

Mr Ayariga commended the management and staff for their operations and work ethics in ensuring that products manufactured met the desired requirements of international trading partners.

"The raw material which is manufactured from petroleum would create an avenue for huge investments and job creation with the commencement of oil and petroleum production in the country," he added.

GNA

MOFA facilitates affordable tractors for farmers


By Frank Mensah, Chermo, Ejura-Ash | Posted: Thursday, October 15, 2009

TO MAKE tractor services easily accessible to farmers, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) is facilitating the establishment of Agricultural Mechanization Service Centres (AMSEC) in all the 170 Districts, Municipals and Metropolitans in the country.

So far, more than eighty centres have been established, and have started operations across the country, of which each centre has been allocated five tractors and accessories.

This was disclosed by the Deputy Minister of MOFA in charge of crops, Mr. Yaw Effah Baafi at Ejura, in the Ashanti Region last Tuesday, when he led a team to inspect a 1,100 acre piece of land which has been put under cultivation of maize.

According to him, the Ministry has absorbed 30% of the cost of the tractors as a subsidy, while 50 % of the balance would be paid as deposit, and the remaining 50% spread over three years.

He stated that the tractor service centres were being established to facilitate access to farm power machinery by farmers who can not afford the machinery. “With the AMSEC, a deposit of 15% of the cost of the 5 tractors is made, while the balance is paid over a five-year period”, he emphasized.

Mr. Baafi also said that “the Ministry is pursuing its goal through the Food and Agricultural Sector Development Policy (FASDEP II), which seeks to achieve, among others, food security and emergency preparedness, as well as improve growth in incomes and stability”.

He mentioned that in order to attain food security objective, MOFA was pursuing interventions such as Youth In Agriculture (YIA), which comprises block farming programme and demonstration farms for maize, rice, sorghum and soya bean.

There is also the supply of fertilizer to farmers at subsidized prices, and development of water pumping schemes on major rivers for irrigation purposes, among others.

He reiterated that the government has started the implementation of the YIA programme as a pilot scheme, and has succeeded in putting under cultivation 35,000 acres of land, made up of maize, rice, sorghum and soya beans. He also disclosed that a total of about 60,000 people have been employed under the YIA programme.

The deputy Minister also mentioned that Grains and Legumes Development Board (GLDP) and Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) will continue to supply quality seeds and planting materials to farmers to boost their productions.

He revealed that the Livestock Development Project will distribute 50,000 improved breeds of small ruminants to farmers throughout the country for genetic improvement of the local stock. “10,000 parent stocks of pigs will be distributed to farmers and 200,000 improved cockerels will also be disseminated to households by the end of the year”, he continued.

He also said the feasibility studies on the Afram Plains Irrigation Project were almost complete, after which the installation of the facilities at the over 10,000 hectare of land would be available.

He also revealed that 794 irrigation pumps, of various capacities have been ordered, to establish irrigation schemes along the main perennial rivers and additionally 83 pumps were being distributed to various communities for irrigation to promote dry season farming.

He disclosed the government’s effort at releasing adequate logistics to control the outbreak of armyworm infestation in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ejura-Sekyeredumase, Miss Martha Bruckner congratulated the current government for not only achieving its objective of providing food security, but also setting up the project which has created employment for the youth in the district.

She said the 1,100 acre land of the block farm on the Ejura Farms’ land was ploughed, harrowed and shared among 60 farmers’ groups and individuals. According to her, the groups comprised 950 males and 620 females, who were working on the maize farm, currently at the cobbling stage.

Hon. Mohammed Issifu Pangabu, the Member of Parliament for the Ejura Sekyeredumase constituency urged the Agricultural Extension Services to collaborate with the farmers in order to make the project sustainable.

Mr. George Badu Yeboah, the Ashanti Regional Director of Agriculture commended the farmers for their good work and urged them to form groups and cultivate crops to boost crop production in the country.

Source: The Chronicle