Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on Sunday, 24 November 2019 joined the chiefs and people of Nandom for the 31st edition of the Nandom annual Kakube festival celebrated to mark the end of the farming season each year and to show appreciation to God for His guidance and protection during the farming season.

Since the festival historically takes it roots from agriculture, Dr Bawumia used the occasion to assess agricultural productivity in the three years of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government in the Nandom district.

Dr Bawumia recounted some of the government’s agriculture-related flagship programmes such as the Planting for Food and Jobs; Planting for Export and Rural Development; Rearing for Food and Jobs; and One Village-One Dam.

According to him, 12,711 farmers are benefiting from the Planting for Food and Jobs with a total cropped area of 18,014 HA.

“Also, as a result of the subsidised fertilisers, seeds and other farm inputs provided by the government, together with the timely sensitisation of farmers on agronomic practices by MoFA staff, there has been a quantum leap in crop yield. It is reported that farming season crop yield in the district increased by 30% in 2018,” he stated.

The Vice-President further indicated that under the Planting for Export and Rural Development, so far a total of 68,000 cashew seedlings/seeds have been procured and distributed to about 600 farmers in 33 communities across the district.

Touching on the Rearing for Food and Jobs initiative, which was launched in Wa in June 2019 with Nandom as one of the three piloted districts benefitting from the policy, Dr Bawumia said so far 400 sheep have been distributed to 40 farmers and 368 cockerels also distributed to 36 farmers in the district.

Under the One Village-One Dam initiative, communities such as Tom-Zendaagagn, Tobogru, Betaglu, Bulengagn, Goziir, Kpiyagl, Bezum, Bu, Puffien, Payaan have been earmarked with the dams at various stages of construction, he added.