As part of its commitment towards the ‘Operation Feed Yourself’ project, Citi FM and Citi TV have begun work on a 100-acre farmland in the Eastern Region.
The initiative, which was launched last year, seeks to encourage people to consider agribusiness as a viable livelihood.
Citi FM and Citi TV are known not only for leading conversations of national interest, but also taking practical steps to lead by example.
The stations have in recent times embarked on several campaigns and initiatives such as the War Against Discipline; Made in Ghana Fair among others.
In leading by example with the ‘Operation Feed Yourself’ project, the company is getting involved in the cultivation of some selected crops, including maize.
The 100-acre farmland, which is located in the Akuapem North District of the Eastern Region, was secured with the support of the Municipal Chief Executive of Akuapem North, Dennis Aboagye.
The company has already begun the cultivation of maize on 20 acres of land.
The CEO of Glofert Fertilizer Company, Foster Mawuli Benson, who is partnering with the organization, said in the next phase of the project, steps will be taken strategically to increase yields with the same amount of inputs.
“You need to know all these insights. Earlier, I told you that we were launching a program called precision agriculture. So what that seeks to do is basically to lower our costs by using technology to get the maximum yield as we employ all technological methods to make farming very scientific,” he said.
The Farm Manager for the project, Perry Adunyame, says the journey has been quite challenging.
“It has been challenging because we had an army worm infestation. We were attacked very badly, so we had to spray Evit Star to kill the army worms but we were advised to abandon it. I spoke to about two agronomists who advised that we abandon it and wait for the next season because it would not be advantageous to keep wasting money. But we decided to give it another try and though the plant is supposed to yield one cob per plant, this one has two. Also, the speed at which it is growing is affecting my calculation. Because, by my estimation we are supposed to start harvesting in about six to seven weeks but we might be harvesting soon. We started in May so harvesting will begin in August,” he said.
The Operation Feed Yourself project, which was outdoored by the Managing Director of Citi FM and Citi TV Samuel Attah-Mensah as part of activities marking the 15th anniversary of Citi FM last year.
It seeks to encourage Ghanaians to engage in subsistence farming, and also promote it as a viable business venture.
As part of the project, a Fair was held in December last year, which featured various consultants, agencies, institutions and agribusiness firms to assist participants to plug into the agribusiness industry and the opportunities within.
The project took inspiration from the famous agricultural program administered in Ghana under military General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong in 1978.
It is expected that the project would result in abundant food for local consumption and processing, job creation and opportunities for import substitution and make the sector attractive again.