Peter Jusu the General Manager of the Fuladu East Agricultural Produce and Marketing Company in Torma Bum has said that with vibrant support from concerned organizations and government, the 51,000 hectares of fertile land at Torma Bum will be cultivated.
However the Fuladu East Agricultural Produce and Marketing Company is presently cultivating only 350 acres of farm land out of the 51,000 with the involvement of 120 farmers. He maintained that with the 350 acre land, depending on the yield potential, he was expecting between 2,000 to 2,500 bushels which is roughly about 1,250 bags of milled rice.
Fuladu East involvement in mechanical cultivation in Torma Bum began in February 2008 and since then the management has been experiencing bountiful harvests which have been stepping stones to embark on large scale farming. He added that the only support received from government is in the area of tractors which is given to them on hire.
He said government only gave them two tractors and they are responsible to maintenance them, adding that he has spent 62 million Leones which includes maintenance cost, payment of salaries, fuel and the utility vehicles.
He expressed hope that they will be successful since they have been supervising their project and more so technical measures have been put in place in terms of agronomic practices.
The only fear he expressed was of flooding which is mostly prominent and normally responsible for drastic reduction in farm produce.
Asked whether he applied fertilizers to enhance a good yield, he said the land cultivated at Torma Bum does not need fertilizer since the land is rich with organic fertilizer got from the River Sewa.
In highlighting some of the constrains faced, he stated that machines given to them on hire by the Ministry of Agriculture requires thorough maintenance and that, he added, kills the enthusiasm of farmers to embark on large scale cultivation.
The machines given to them he said were so faulty to the point that one problem led to the other during this year’s farming process.
He mentioned another major problem of the poor road network which he said is responsible for their inability to market their goods. He said their products are being stored since there are no customers to buy them.
Because of this, he stated, inhabitants are finding it absolutely impossible to give their children quality education as products depended on to sell and generate income are being abandoned in stores until they lose their value.
He explained that their target by 2012 is to provide seed banks for close to 6,000 farmers based on the level of support expected from communities, the government and other organizations.
He stated further that Fuladu East can presently boast of 6 to7,000 acres of land to be cultivated for the next five years, adding that the company has a store that takes about 150,000 bags of rice
Proffering a solution for food self- sufficiency, he mentioned government and the international community’s support to fast track adequate food productivity, saying “if government and international communities can give us enough seeds on time, transportation for farmers to move their produce to a decent market, enough tractors, combined harvesters, and provide communication facilities, then the issue of food sufficiency will be addressed”.
Mr. Jusu disclosed that when they started farming last year they bought 475 bushels which he used to undertake most of his farming activities, adding that they assist local farmers by giving out seedlings and in ploughing and harrowing for them in a bid to have a dividend.