Some 226 young farmers were between 2019 and 2020 made to undergo training in modern agriculture practices under a youth agriculture programme dubbed Youth Agri-preneurship Development Programme (YADIS) in the Sissala East and West Districts of the Upper West Region.
The farmers who were made up of 76 females and 150 males were also provided with incentives such as fertiliser to enhance their productivity and ensure that they produced quality grains which met international standards.
The country Manager for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Mr Kofi Biney disclosed this at Tumu on Saturday.
He explained that the stated objectives of YADIS were to transform smallholder agriculture from a solitary struggle to a substantive business where people earn regular income.
Mr Biney added that the main incentive of the project was to address the issue of youth unemployment and eliminate north-south migration by the youth.
In a virtual presentation, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sahel Grains Mr Kwame Boateng said that for young farmers in the Upper West Region to produce grains that were good enough to feed Nestlé meant that they could produce high quality maize for the international market as well.
“We are able to export maize to the United Kingdom and other countries in Europe. This is a manifestation of the hard work and dedication of the young and talented farmers that we work with under the YADIS”, he added.
For his part, the Head of Agricultural Services at Nestlé Central and West Africa, Mr Fatih Ermis said the project was targetted to achieve a minimum of US$2,400 as income for every Young Agri-preneur with improved technology and skills.
Three young farmers including one female as well as leaders of two nuclear farming groups were awarded for distinguishing themselves in the year under review.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Sissala East, Mr Karim Nyanua who presented the awards to some of the beneficiaries encouraged them to work harder with the inputs to increase their productivity.
FROM LYDIA DARLINGTON FORDJOUR, WA
