Rice farmers in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality over the years have resorted to the traditional means (man power) of threshing their large scale rice production after harvesting.
Although this has been an age-long practice it is becoming increasingly worrisome lately given that large chunk of the grains go waste in the absence of rice threshers to thresh the rice after harvesting.
Rice production has become the major source of income and livelihood for the vast majority of small holder farmers particularly women in the this area. The production is mainly seen in the following communities in the Municipality: Asotwe, Donaso, Besease, Nobowam, Abenase, Sonsuoso and some others.
Some farmers in Donaso , a farming community in the Ejisu-Juabeng Municipality, accounting their ordeal to gardjagh.org, said it is time consuming and drains a lot of physical energy in threshing the rice after harvesting.
They indicated that they have cultivated about 1000 acreages of rice in Donaso alone, and have got good yield to feed the country, yet the ‘man power’ used in threshing the rice is delaying the supply of the rice to the markets centers.
As a result of the situation rice farmers, numbering about 1000 in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, are appealing to non-governmental organizations and corporate bodies to assist them to acquire rice threshers, pumping machines, among other machinery to boost local rice production.
Mr. Jeremiah, chairman, Donaso Rice Farmers Association, said the provision of the necessary machinery to assist in the farming activities will significantly boost rice production as well as open opportunities for farmers and other households.
He said rice farming is a very lucrative venture, since the demand and consumption of locally produced rice keeps going up on the market. However, he noted that poor pricing for local rice by merchants as a result of poor packaging, processing among others affect their earnings.
He thus called for a holistic approach to turn the fortunes of local rice producers if the country wants to cut down the importation of foreign rice
