The Ayawaso West Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Ms Sandra Owusu Ahenkorah, has urged farmers in the municipality to adopt modern technologies to improve crop production in the area.
According to her, the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs programme would not be achieved, if they did not blend that with modern technology.
She was speaking at a capacity building workshop to sensitise farmers and market women on the need to produce healthy foods to increase consumers’ lifespan.
The occasion brought together agricultural experts, scientists, farmers and market queens who deliberated on issues affecting farmers and foodstuff sellers towards finding a lasting solution to the market glut of harvested crops.
The MCE lamented that fruits and vegetables that needed to provide essential nutrients had become dangerous to the health of consumers, adding that “chemicals that farmers use in ripe vegetables and fruits are causing many health related problems”.
In order to support the school feeding programme and improve healthy lives among children, Ms Ahenkorah promised her administration’s commitment to educate farmers in the area for them to produce quality foods that would sustain lives.
Dr Mawi Owureku-Asare, Senior Research Scientist at the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), stated that agriculture was the backbone of the country’s economy and noted that the One Village One Dam policy of the government should be embraced, saying farmers should even request for more as they needed good treated water to irrigate crops to boost the nutritional values.
For vegetables and fruits not to spoil, Dr Owureku-Asare urged farmers and vegetable sellers to show keen interest in the way they transport crops to preserve the nutrients.
She called on market queens to intensify their campaign against the use of substance and chemicals on powdered pepper, palm oil, salted tilapia and others foodstuffs to maintain their health value.
BY JOYCELINE NATALLY CUDJOE
