PFJ farmers in Volta Region to receive preferred seeds for 2019

Farmers registered under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) in the Volta Region would receive their preferred seeds for the 2019 farming season.

Mr. Alfred Bedzrah, Volta Regional Coordinator PFJ, who gave the assurance through the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said the move was to address challenges with quality seeds and improve yield.

Last year, farmers complained of poor quality of seeds, which they said did not do well in their ecological zones.

The Coordinator asked the farmers to send their preferences through the District Agriculture Offices early to receive the seeds in time.

Mr Bedzrah told the Ghana News Agency that his office is intensifying the monitoring of farming activities of beneficiaries of the programme for good harvest in 2019.

Statistics from the Agriculture Department shows that the Region is doing well in rice production and recording higher yields with average holdings of about 0.6 hectare and average yields of about 4.9 metric tonnes per hectare.

Rice and maize production also increased from between 1.0-2.0 metric tonnes per hectare to 4.0-5.0 metric tonnes per hectare and 1.6-2.7 metric tonnes per hectare to 3.0-4.0 metric tonnes per hectare respectively last year.

Last year, 78,753 farmers benefited from the PFJ initiative, a significant improvement as compared to the 14,799 who registered in 2017.

About 100,000 farmers are targeted to benefit from the PFJ initiative in the region by the close of 2019.

Source: GNA