The National Service Scheme (NSS) has disclosed that 4,000 acres of land have been cleared, out of the acquired 20,000 acres of farmland in the Kumawu area of the Ashanti Region, for a commercial farming estate, known as Kumawu Youth Farm.
Given the breakdown in an interview with the Daily Statesman yesterday in Accra, the acting Director of Corporate Affairs of the NSS, Ambrose Entsiwah Jnr., explained that with the 4,000 acres, the Scheme had cultivated crops such as maize, rice and soya for this major season. He revealed that majority of these crops are ready for harvest.
“With the Scheme going into full time agriculture programme, and having secured large acreage of land at Kumamu, that’s over 200,000 acres, we have taken custody of 20,000 acres of fertile land, and we have cleared 4,000 acres at the moment. And out of the 4,000, we have cultivated maize -1000acres, rice-650acres, soya beans-350 acres.
“So, these are the areas we are into for now. For the major season, some of these crops are even ready for harvest. Going into the minor season, we have prepared 2,000 acres for the minor season. We are going into irrigation too as well,” he stated.
Agric landscape
Mr Entsiwah Jnr. further stressed that the development marks a significant milestone in the NSS’s journey towards establishing a massive commercial farming estate that aims to revolutionize the agricultural landscape in Ghana.
He projected that, in the next two to three years, NSS should produce substantial crops to be consumed by the Ghanaian community.
To guarantee the success of the Kumawu Youth Farm, he said, a team of seasoned agricultural experts is diligently overseeing the project. Additionally, he said NSS officers are closely monitoring operations to ensure that the farming practices adhere to the highest standards of sustainability and productivity.
He added: “This is our biggest farming enclave, one of an end-to-end nature, which starts from production to processing in the long term.”
