Government is to recruit more female tractor operators to run its Agricultural Mechanisation Centres (AMCs).
These centres would be established in the various districts of the country to render services to small holder farmers, especially women in agriculture.
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture in-charge of Horticulture, Mr George Boahen Oduro who announced this, noted that the move was to address the difficulties most women farmers go through in assessing tractor services during the farming season.
The Deputy Minister was speaking at a graduation ceremony of 31 women tractor operators who underwent one month intensive tractor operating training at Wenchi in the Brong-Ahafo Region.
Mr Oduro said government is in the process of importing agricultural machineries such as tractors, multi-crop threshers, combine harvesters, irrigation kits, mobile grain dryers, seed cleaners, and sprayers among others to increase agricultural productivity as well as ensuring food security in the country.
The programme, he noted is being undertaken by Women in Agriculture, Technical, Vocational Education Training (ATVET) of the German International Cooperation (GIZ) in partnership with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
It aimed at ensuring that more women are equipped with skills empowerment, such as tractors operating to enable them render services in the agriculture value chain.
Mr Michael Adjei Boateng, national expert of ATVET said as part of the course, participants were taken through maintenance, ploughing, harrowing, shelling, engine operation and keeping records.
According to him, the participants would have practical attachments at
some commercial farms in the country to build on their capacity to enable them make the needed impact.
FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH, WENCHI
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS