President John Dramani Mahama has cut sod for the establishment of Ghana’s first Farmer Services Centre at Takoratwene in Afram Plains.
The initiative was born out of the urgent need to move Ghanaian agriculture away from cutlasses and hoes and toward modern, mechanised farming.
The President performed the sod-cutting ceremony on Saturday, describing the centre as far more than a tractor station.
“The Farmer Services Centre is not just a tractor station. It is a one-stop hub for agricultural transformation,” he said.
The facility will house tractors, combine harvesters, threshers, and other modern machinery, alongside a dedicated unit to manage and maintain the equipment.
Registered farmers will also access soil testing services, training on modern farming techniques, seeds, and fertilizers directly from the centre.
“Trainers will regularly engage farmers, equipping them with knowledge on best practices to improve productivity,” President Mahama said.
One of the most significant features of the centre, he noted, was its warehousing and silo capacity.
“After harvest, farmers will no longer be forced to sell their produce immediately at unfavourable prices. The service centre will purchase the produce, store it, and sell at the right time to ensure better returns,” he said.
The government would also introduce a minimum recommended price each year to guarantee farmers a fair return.
“Farmers will be guaranteed a fair price for their produce, often higher than prevailing market prices,” President Mahama said.
Acknowledging the losses farmers suffered following last year’s bumper harvest, the President announced that the government would provide fertilizers free of charge to farmers this year rather than at the usual subsidised rates.
“Government will, for this year, provide fertilizers free of charge to farmers, instead of the usual subsidised rates, to help ease their burden,” he said.
On food security, President Mahama said the National Buffer Stock Company’s allocation for purchasing food for schools had been increased from 200 million cedis last year to 300 million cedis this year.
He also assured farmers that no new permits had been issued for maize imports.
“The stocks from previous years are still sufficient, and our focus is to support local farmers and boost domestic production,” he said.
The President also announced that the government had awarded a contract to Sonitra Constructions Limited for the construction of the Adawso-Ekye Amanfrom bridge across the Afram River, saying the project would improve transportation and ease the movement of goods in the area.
On irrigation, President Mahama said the government had initiated projects in the Afram Plains covering about 900 hectares since last year.
“When completed, these lands will be allocated to interested farmers, enabling year-round farming and ensuring consistent food supply,” he said.
He also put landlords on notice, warning that charging farmers more than 200 cedis per season in land rental was against the law. “Such practices must cease,” he said.
President Mahama chose the Afram Plains for the first centre deliberately, noting that the area was one of Ghana’s most productive food-producing zones.
“Afram Plains is widely known as one of Ghana’s food baskets, producing crops such as maize, groundnuts, and cassava. It is therefore fitting that we have chosen this area for the establishment of the first Farmer Services Centre,” he said.
The government plans to build 50 Farmer Services Centres nationwide, with the first phase covering 11 centres across the country’s major agricultural producing areas.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
