|
Ministry procures tractors to meet agricultural needs
Accra, Oct. 10, Ghanadot/GNA – The Ministry of Food and
Agriculture has procured about 500 tractors to be supplied
to farmer groups and district assemblies as way of bridging
the farmer-tractor gap.
At the moment, the ratio of farmers to tractors stands at
1,800 farmers to a tractor which does not augur well for
effective agricultural production.
Mr. Joseph Kwasi Boamah, Director, Agriculture Engineering
Services Directorate of the Ministry, said this at a meeting
with Robert Lane and his team, manufacturers of John Deere
brand of tractors, to discuss a long-term partnership deal
in that regard.
He said modernizing agriculture to increase food production
called for the application of the right methodology and the
use of quality equipment.
“John Deere has been a trusted brand and we believe they
will leave up to expectation.”
Mr. Boamah noted that the directorate would try the tractors
on farmer-based organizations, assess their quality,
efficiency and after sales service schemes before importing
large quantities to meet the market’s needs.
The country would need about 9,000 tractors to bridge the
farmer-tractor gap by 2015.
He said the tractors would be sold on 50 per cent credit
basis to enable them to purchase.
Mr. Robert Lane, Chief Executive Officer, John Deere and
Company, assured the ministry of quality products to
increase Ghana’s yields, saying “logistics and make-up of
our products are of high efficiency”.
He pledged excellent after sales service saying they would
soon introduce their mobile service unit to cater for
technical breakdowns.
Mr. Lane therefore called on the ministry to trust the
company for quality service delivery to make the partnership
a more sustaining one.
GNA
|
