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GASIP honours 59 farmers in UER

The Upper East Regional Director of Agriculture, Mr Francis Ennor, has assured farmers in the region that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture will not withdraw its interventions to them in this farming season as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Regional Director allayed the fears of the farmers at an award ceremony organised by the Ghana Agricultural Sector Investment Programme (GASIP) and his outfit in Bolgatanga on Monday to honour some farmers in the region for adopting Agriculture Conservation Practices.

 In all, GASIP rewarded 329 farmers in the seven programme beneficiary regions with tricycle motors and   personal protection gears for farm activities, including Wellington boots, nose masks, long sleeves and trousers, eye goggles and knapsack sprayers.

For the Upper East Region, 59 farmers drawn from the Kalbeo, Yebongo, Sumbrungu, Katanga, Yikine, and Yorogo communities were part of the awardees. 

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Mr Ennor told the farmers the region had started receiving its package of the farming subsidy under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ).

He told the farmers that arrangements were being made by the Regional and District Directorates of Agriculture to ensure that the farmers got their share of the government’s fertiliser and seeds subsidies on time.

 Mr Ennor said any lapses to support farmers to undertake farming activities this farming season would have the tendency of affecting food security in this period of COVID-19.

He indicated that plans were far advanced to deploy information technologies in the form of mobile applications and radio programmes on good farming practices to complement the work of agriculture extension agents to educate the farmers on good agriculture practices to ensure food security.  

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Mr Ennor impressed upon the farmers to adopt climate smart agriculture technologies such as the use of climate-resilient seeds, applying the right quantity of fertilizer at the right time, appropriate land preparation devoid of slash and burn, to enable them harvest good yields.

The Climate Change Adaptation Manager of GASIP, Dr.Edmund Akoto-Danso, who addressed the ceremony on behalf of the GASIP National Programme Coordinator, Mr Klutse Kudomor, said the ceremony, being organised separately in seven regions, marked the beginning of the 2020 farming season.

He said the five-year GASIP, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture with support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), would this farming season provide support in the form of climate-resilient seeds and other inputs to 1,500 smallholder farmers in 12 districts to cultivate a maximum of two acres each, using various climate-smart agriculture technologies and techniques.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Bolgatanga, Mr Joseph Amiyure, said formerly farmers in the region used to plant early April, but now it often travels to June and  entreated the farmers to take the issues of climate change very seriously.

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FROM SAMUEL AKAPULE, BOLGATANGA

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 Intake of ‘Gobe’ can prevent heart diseases —Nutritionists

Gari and beans is good for the heart
Gari and beans is good for the heart

Nutritionists have advised Ghanaians to eat more beans-based meals, including the popular local dish, gari and beans, also known as ‘Gobe’ to prevent heart diseases. They said incidenc­es of obesity and cancer could be minimised with the regular intake of beans meals.

At a programme in Accra to mark the World Pulses ( Beans) Day on Monday, Mr Wise Chukudi Letsa, Nu­tritionist and Dietician, who spoke on the topic: ‘Beans: The Super Food for Healthy Living and Healthy Farmlands,’ admonished Ghanaians to include beans in their diets.

Mr Letsa said beans was rich in protein, fibre, vitamins, miner­als, irons and other nutrients and contained just a little fat. Mr Letsa, a Nutritionist with Lets Consult, stated that the presence of those nutrients in beans explained why its intake could prevent heart diseases and other ailments, hence the need to consume it regularly.

The event, dubbed: ‘Meatless Monday’ was organised by the Com­munications Initiative for Change (CIC), a Ghanaian non-profit organ­isation.

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The ‘Meatless Monday’ is an initiative aimed at encouraging Ghanaians to reduce their intake of meat by taking in more beans-based meals on every Monday of a week.

It was launched after the United Nations in 2019, set aside Febru­ary 10 to celebrate and encourage the consumption of pulses (beans) worldwide. This year’s celebration was hinged on the theme: ‘Bringing Diversity to Agrifood Systems.’

Mr Peter Agbovi, National Secre­tary, Chefs Association of Ghana, said a variety of meals could be prepared with beans, which include Waakye (rice and beans), Kose (beans paste made into cakes), Ayikple, Aboboi, Tuo Zaafi, Akyeke, and kakro.

He encouraged Ghanaians to con­sume more of those foods to stay healthy.

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Mr Emmanuel Fiagbey, the Ex­ecutive Director, CIC, indicated that even if people could not eat beans-based meals regularly, efforts should be made to consume them every Monday.

He said that was the essence of the introduction of the ‘Meatless Monday’ initiative. -GNA

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 Restore beauty of Kwame Nkrumah Circle area / State of Kwame Nkrumah Circle an eyesore!

A homeless man sleeping in the sand close to the removed blocks
A homeless man sleeping in the sand close to the removed blocks

Small size quarry stones fixed at open spac­es under the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange was to leave the place open and free from activities of beggars and other activities of the homeless.

By the way the stones were fixed, it makes the area, particularly the VIP and Neoplan Station stretch of the Interchange, inhabit­able by the destitute.

But a walk through the area currently suggest the opposite.

At the median where pavement blocks have been taken over by these home­less and destitute, the area has been turned into a hotel where a number of these unfortunate ones have com­fortably laid their mattress­es and other stuff to rest from the day’s activities.

They have crossed over to the SSNIT and Kaneshie Station area with their activ­ities and have removed the quarry stones which were to ward them off the place to enable them find spaces to sleep comfortably.

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The pavement blocks re­moved from different loca­tions under the interchange now serves as foundations on which beds were laid and in some cases, mosquito nets erected.

Their continued pres­ence is not only creating a nuisance for commuters but marring the beauty and serenity of the place.

Sadly, the activities of these deprived fellows have been ignored while the numbers keep increasing day by day.

The Spectator finds the development very worrying and calls on the responsible authorities to clear the area to restore the beauty and serenity of the area.

 By Victor A. Buxton

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