By Ishmael Newton Ogah:
The West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAP) through the Animal Productivity Directorate (APP) has sponsored over 140 farmers to benefit from a two-day training workshop on ensiling cassava by-product as feed which form an important component of the farm budget in the country.
Eleven farmers in all were selected from selected districts in the Eastern region: these included West Akyem, Asuogyman, New Juaben, Birim North, Birim Central, Akyemansa, Lower Manya, Atiwa, and Kwasu West (Nkawkaw). During the workshop, farmers were educated and trained in the procedures used in ensiling feed resources for ruminant (SR) feeding in Ghana (conventional and unconventional), Agro by products and agro industrial products, silage from agro by products and practical ensiling of cassava peel based by-products.
This year’s program which was under the theme: Better Utilization of feed resources for small ruminants in Ghana was held at the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua. The program was meant to help ruminant farmers in the country to be able to prepare silage feed to feed their ruminants in the dry season using waste resources such as cassava peel, yam peels, piton mash, rice brain, wheat bran, pineapple waste, mango waste, banana peels, citrus waste, Dry palm slurry, pineapple pulp, Mango waste among others.
According to the Eastern Regional Director of Agriculture, Mr. Yaw Asante, he noted that farmers in the country were not making proper utilization of these available resources to their advantage. “There are more crop residues lying waste in the country that can be converted into feeds to feed our ruminants but which our Ghanaian farmers failed to explore to their advantage, and also help them improve upon their animal production”.
He further added that, all these waste resources were not difficult to find, but can be easily afforded since they are not expensive. He said he, was worried that Ghanaian farmers have raised sheep and goats over a long period but the management practices by some farmers continue to lead to poor productivity.
However, some of the farmers who were present at the program expressed their view of how the program will help them in the production of their animals while on the other hand advising the youth and the general public to involve them in farming activities since it will help them and the country as a whole.
Source: ritefmonline.org
