Nationwide training held for agro-chemical dealers
A nationwide training is to be organized for new entrants in agro- chemical business to equip them to offer the right services to farmers.
This has become necessary because most of the dealers are untrained and unlicensed and their services are questionable because they do not follow the rules and regulations of the Ghana Agricultural Input Dealers Association (GAIDA).
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Nkawkaw on Tuesday, Mr. Kwaku Safo-Kantanka, the Eastern Regional President of GAIDA, said the training would enable the dealers to offer efficient services to farmers to increase yield and earn more income to improve their livelihood.
He explained that GAIDA in collaboration with the Environmental Protection and the Planned Protection and Regulatory Services were organizing the training programme.
The Regional GAIDA President said the training was being organized on regional basis and would be held between November 11 and 13 in Koforidua.
He therefore called on the untrained dealers to take advantage of the upcoming courses to learn the efficient ways of handling and dispensing agro-chemicals and imparting the right knowledge to farmers.
Mr. Safo–Kantanka noted that globally, farming had a big business boom, adding that, those with the pre-requisite knowledge of the use of agro-chemicals gained more.
He said he observed that the operations of some untrained agro-chemical dealers operated dangerously close to chop bars and drinking spots which are unacceptable.
“Others operate on table-tops or carry them around especially on market days and sell them by the roadside under the sun which lowers the chemical potency as well as selling them in provision and other stores which are against regulations,” he stressed.
Mr. Safo-Kantanka said it had been noted that of about 6,000 agro-chemical dealers throughout the country, only 3,500 were trained and belonged to the association.
In the Eastern Region 280 dealers have been trained with about 350 others operating without any form of training.
Source: GNA