The Upper Manya Krobo District Director of the Department of Agriculture, Hilary Alagbo,
has lamented the nation’s present skyrocketing prices for petroleum goods and agricultural supplies.
As a result, food costs continue to rise sharply, which has an impact on Ghanaians in general and farmers in particular.
At the Research Extension Linkage Committee (RELC) Planning Session that day in Asesewa, Eastern Region, Mr Alagbo made this statement.
Despite the difficulties the industry has recently endured, the mainstay of the nation’s economy, according to him, is agriculture.
The meeting gave the district’s numerous agricultural stakeholders the chance to discuss the difficulties and issues they now face in the industry and offer some solutions.
If research institutions, extension organizations, and farmers worked together effectively, he believed research could play a significant role in improving farmers’ fortunes.
In light of this, research organizations have devoted countless hours to developing crops, animals, and fish that are resistant to pests, illnesses, and drought. According to him, this had caused an increase in the number of animals and crop yields, which in turn had increased the farmers’ earnings and standard of living.
In order to increase technology distribution, Mr Alagbo urged the participants to establish an efficient feedback channel between themselves and extension officers. He emphasized that it was incredibly difficult to thrive in today’s environment while working alone.
Walter Kwadzo Drayi, the event’s chair, pleaded with the attendees to take advantage of the department’s value chain approach to agriculture in the district by forming groups among the different types of actors to conduct business, assist in problem-solving, and seek assistance for their mutual benefits.
Climate change manifested in erratic rainfall patterns and protracted dry spells, a poor road network, a lack of a quick market for their farm products, and the activities of nomadic herdsmen, were some of the concerns mentioned by the participants.