MoFA Extension staff receives training on Warehouse Receipt System

By Fatima Anafu-Astanga, GNA

Sandema, May 10, GNA - District Agricultural Officers and their extension staff have undergone a two-day training on the Ghana Warehouse receipt system (WRS) for technical support to farmers to bring competitiveness to the grain industry.

The training, which attracted staff from the Builsa North, Builsa South and some staff of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoFA) was aimed at equiping staff with skills to ensure best practices for a Warehouse Receipt System in Ghana.

It was facilitated by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group with funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

The training was aimed at providing extension staff, understanding of the warehouse receipts system, appropriate post-harvest handling, trade contracting and its benefits and likely legalities that existed, clarification of roles and responsibilities as well as dispute resolution skills.

Mr Maxwell Akandem, a renowned farmer in the Builsa District in an interview with the Ghana News Agency expressed gratitude to the financiers for the training programme in the lead to the smooth take- off of the structured trade system.

Mr Akandem who is the 2010 first runner up National Best Farmer and a lead farmer in the area entreated government to empower extension workers with tools and logistics such as motorbikes, fuel among others  to facilitate their movement to reach out to smallholder farmers in time.

He also urged government to facilitate the supply of farm inputs for farmers to facilitate efficient and effective production.

Mr Thomas Yaro, District Agricultural Officer, in charge of extension services in the Builsa North District also in an interview said the training was good and would have a positive impact on their skills and facilitate efforts of the farmers in the structured agribusiness and the new GCX platform.

“The farmers who usually have challenges in marketing their produce will have better opportunities in trading their grains with the coming into force of Ghana Warehouse Receipt System.  It will also facilitate market access and therefore farmers will be able to condition their produce to pass the requirements of the GCX”.  Mr. Yaro stressed.

Ms Mavis Akaliga , Regional Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer of the Regional MoFA Directorate expressed gratitude to IFC for the training and noted that WRS  was a good concept +for farmers are made to understand it well.

She said topics treated were apt and will equip extension officers to effectively support farmers they served as link between the farmers and financial institutions.

She said the WRS project will be part of their messages in their extension work and will also serve as part of monitoring activities of farmers’ involvement in the WRS.

Mr. Zimi Alhassan, MoFA Directorate who thanked the organisers on behalf of the Regional Directorate noted that the training was relevant and timely and said it would help to improve extension work in the Districts.

He stated that the Directorate would continue to chip in some of the topics learnt especially for new extension staff as an on the job capacity building. He challenged staff to form innovative platforms to push these new ideas to improve their services in the districts.

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