Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Qualitrace Ghana Ltd, Mr. Kenneth Abdulai Nelson has lamented the low use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in controlling pests and diseases on local farms.
The CEO expressed the regret while appearing as guest on the Rite FM Agrotech program with Edwin Larbi on Monday.
Mr. Abdulai says Ghana must devote extensive resources especially in peasant farms in the rural areas.
Ghana as an agricultural country must invest massively in the sector, especially by concentrating on the small holder farmers who are in the farming communities in the villages, he said.
To him, streamlining the various workshops to educate the farmers on agronomic practices, ensuring agric related development and also the use of modern ICT to the doorsteps of farmers is the way to go rather than organizing them in the cities where farming activities are not going on.
The Chief Executive Officer of Qualitrace Ghana was not happy that smallholder farmers who provide most of the country’s foodstuffs are disadvantaged in the use of modern technologies to boost their farms.
“Smallholder farmers provide most of the raw materials in the value chain but are unfortunately shortchanged in the use of modern technologies such as phones, apps, drones in controlling pests and diseases,” he asserted attributing the challenge due largely to unfavourable “demographics and psychology of peasant farmers” adding that the situation was seriously affecting food crop production in the country.
Source, Prince Paul Amuzu/www.ritefmonline.org/princeamuzu667@gmail.com
