Give more loans to rural women farmers – CSIR Dep. Director

Dr Rose Emma Mamaa Entsu-Mensah, Deputy Director General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has called for the need to support rural women in agriculture with loans to help them to expand their activities.

She described as completely unacceptable the present situation where they receive less than 10 per cent of rural credit adding that it was estimated that 80 percent of sub- Saharan African women are farmers, producing between 60-80 per cent of the food needs of the poor.

Dr Entsu-Mensah, who was launching the year-long silver jubilee celebration of the Crop Research Institute (CRI) Ladies Club at Fumesua near Kumasi, said efforts at exposing them to improved farming technologies should also be stepped up.

She said  about five percent of the women were benefiting from agricultural extension services and this she said would have to change and complained about their under-representation, in the scientific and technical fields.

Dr Stella Ama Ennim, Deputy Director of the CRI, called on the workers to continue to work hard to transform the country’s agriculture and raise the production levels.

Mrs Janet Gyimah-Kesseh, commended the research institution for the tremendous contribution it was making towards the development of agriculture.

The President of the Club, Mrs Lawrencia Donkor Acheampong, said activities they had lined up for the event include free breast cancer screening for residents in the Fumesua community, fun games and visit to the Edwenase Rehabilitation Centre and the Cheshire Home.

The celebration would be held under the theme: “25 years of promoting women in agricultural development.”

Source: GNA