The National Service Authority (NSA) has cultivated more than 5,000 acres of maize this year to support the government’s flagship “Feed Ghana” project.
The Deputy Director-General in Charge of Operations at NSA, Hon. Fuseini Donkor, took a tour of the Authority’s expansive maize farm at Abotantre in the Sekyere Afram Plains District of the Ashanti Region over the weekend.
Target
He indicated that the NSA had set an ambitious target to cultivate a total of 8,000 acres of farmland across all 16 regions of Ghana by the end of 2025.
The move is aimed at enhancing national food security, reducing youth unemployment, and equipping national service personnel with practical skills in modern agriculture.
According to him, the farm at Abotantre, which spans over 20,000 acres is currently the largest under the NSA’s agricultural initiative.
Mr Donkor noted that 1,000 acres of maize have already been cultivated at the site using scientific and mechanised farming methods to ensure higher yields and sustainability, moving away from traditional practices.
Intention
He explained that the project is intended to produce food as well as train and empower national service personnel.
Under the programme, he noted, personnel deployed to these agricultural project sites will receive their regular allowances in addition to sharing in the proceeds from the sale of farm produce, a strategy designed to motivate and retain young people in the agricultural value chain.
“We are training the youth to serve and to be economically empowered through agriculture. This project will go a long way to tackle unemployment, increase food production, and develop skilled agri-entrepreneurs,” he stated.
He added that as part of the broader vision, the NSA also plans to establish a poultry feed factory and construct a 100,000-capacity poultry house for broiler production, further enhancing its contribution to the livestock sector.
The tour saw the Ashanti Regional Director of the NSA, Emmanuel Reagan Fynn, and the District Chief Executive of Sekyere Afram Plains, Joseph Owusu, in attendance.
Meanwhile, some National Service Personnel (NSP) expressed optimism about the project’s potential to transform agriculture in Ghana.