The Minister of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) on Tuesday, 9 November 2021, paid a working visit to the mechanisation centre set up two years ago, as part of the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) in Gomoa in the Central Region. 

The minister’s visit forms part of his annual working tour to the region to assess the level of work on the mechanisation centre. 

Under this scheme, MoFA has imported 260 tractors and other farm machinery from Brazil to boost the module.

As part of the module, MoFA has selected some 32 District Assemblies under Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) to benefit from these mechanisation centres to be established across the country.

In addition, the ministry has supplied some machinery to some commercial farmers and the private sector at a discount rate of 40 per cent. 

According to Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, this decision was made in cabinet under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government for the imported farm machinery to attract a subsidy of 40 per cent to support the farming industry. 

The minister said the ministry is expecting another batch of machinery to help expand the numbers to those in the commercial areas and District Assemblies committed to the PERD programme. 

“Gomoa mechanisation centre is expanding very rapidly in the production of some food crops under PFJ,” the minister noted. 

He said MoFA will take note of the delivery of services they provide to the farmers to determine the degree to which they will expand the facilities.