Caption 

Osei Assibey Antwi, NSS Executive Director 

Story 

THE NATIONAL Service Scheme (NSS) has commenced development of 20,000 acres out 200,000 acres acquired for mixed commercial farming this year.

The NSS intends to produce maize, rice and soya beans towards becoming one of Ghana’s leading producers of the commodities for commercial purposes.

Planting kick-started last week, after the entire management of the NSS spent time in Kumawu to inspect the land and assess progress of work.

The Executive Director of NSS, Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi hoped NSS’ would achieve its target upon venturing into commercial maize, rice and soya beans production.

He said with about 3,000 agricultural and veterinary medicine graduates engaged as service personnel every year achieving its target is possible and contribute to Ghana’s food security as well as create jobs for the youth.

The Executive Director also hoped the project will support poultry farmers with feed for their birds and that the scheme has signed an off-taker agreement with the poultry farmers association to this effect.

He said the Kumawu Youth Farms would serve as practical training grounds for the numerous agricultural graduates who work with the scheme.

He said the NSS intends to assist Agricultural graduate personnel to form co-operatives, solicit funding from EXIM Bank and the National
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) to enable them farm on the vast farmlands they have acquired after their service tenure has ended.

The Kumawu Youth farms, according to Assibey Antwi, will create about 20,000 direct and 5,000 indirect jobs under the project.

The NSS, Mr. Assibey Antwi disclosed, had engaged former Member of Parliament for Twifo-Atti Morkwa and Policy Advisor, Abraham Dwuma Odoom, as a consultant for the Kumawu project.

By Kow Richardson