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Welcome to Ministry of Food & Agriculture

MoFA's Mission is to promote sustainable agriculture and thriving agribusiness through research and technology development, effective extension and other support services to farmers, processors and traders for improved livelihood. more

National Agricultural Vision

The vision of the Ministry is a modernised agriculture culminating in a structurally transformed economy and evident in food security, employment opportunities and reduced poverty.

Akatsi

 

INTRODUCTION:

This profile is to provide background information on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Akatsi District. It is also to serve as a guide to prospective and potential investors who want to engage in agro-business in the Akatsi District. The profile attempts to portray vividly the agricultural potentials of the district.

The district has a total land area of about 906,455km². Based on the 2000 Population and Housing Census has 93,477 people. The district experiences a bi-modal rainfall pattern which is suitable for crop production. The annual rainfall regime (1,084mm), with a relative humidity of 85%.

Agriculture is the main economic activities. About 80% of the population are engaged in agriculture.

The profile is also relevant to development planners, NGOs and other agencies interested in the development of agriculture in the district. Tourists who visit the region may find this profile very useful.

PHYSICAL AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

LOCATION AND AREA

The district is located in the South-Eastern part of the Volta Region and is located between latitude 6º S-7º N and 0º W- 1º E.

The district is bounded by the Keta District to the south, to the East by Ketu North, by the North and South Tongu Districts to the West and by the Adaklu-Anyigbe District and the Republic of Togo to the North complete the demarcation of the Akatsi District.

It has a total land area of about 906,445 km². The total land under cultivation is about 13,438.12 hectares.

 

RELIEF AND DRAINAGE

The district is a low lying coastal plain with flatland in the south and rolling plain to the north. The topography of the district is generally gentle and undulating land averaging 10-50metres above sea level.

About 60% of the total land area lies below 100 feet contour line and rising to over 200 feet in the northern part.

Rivers and creeks that drain in the district include Tordzi, Agblegboloe, Worwoe, Lotor, Kutor, Agortor, Asrama, Tetemale, Dzikoli and Agormor. The first three empty their waters into the Keta and Avu lagoons. Some of the rivers are dammed for irrigation during the dry season.

 

GEOLOGY

The district falls within these underlying geological formations:-

The acidic gneiss belt, forming 70% of the land area

Tertiary sands about 25% and

Basimorphic acidic gneiss about 5%

The acidic belt consists mainly of layered coarse to fine grained muscovite biotic, schist and containing numerous quartz-veins. There are outcrops of negivine, auqit and syeinte either as inselberg or shallow exposed surface all over this geological formation.

 

SOILS

Three main soil types characterised the district. The south-eastern portion is characterised by tertiary sands which are moderate to well drained deep red to brown loamy sand to sandy loam topsoil over coarse sandy loam to clay loam subsoil.

These soils are suitable for the cultivation of all arable crops.

Within these dominants soil can be found in the valley bottoms and depressions, poorly drained and plastic glacial clays, which are suitable for commercial sugar cane production as well as for ceramic and poultry industry.

The north-western to the northern part of the district is characterised by acidic gneiss which is moderately drained, deep, sandy soil which is either sandy or sandy clay subsoil suitable for root and tuber crops as well as cereals and legumes. The middle portion is characterised by acidic gneiss parent material found in convex and broad low-lying ridges with outcrops which are moderately drained, shallow to bedrock sandy top soil underlain with sandy clay subsoil and coarse clay. These areas are suitable rangeland for livestock production.

 

CLIMATE

The elements of importance in the climate of the district are temperature, humidity, rainfall and wind which are of significance mainly during the dry season when the inflow of harmattan winds accelerate the drying up of the savannah grasses.

The district falls within the coastal savannah equatorial climate regime characterised by high temperatures (min 21ºC and 34.5ºC max), high relative humidity (85%) and moderate to low regime of rainfall (1,084mm) with wet and dry seasons of about equal lengths.

VEGETATION AND FAUNA

 

The vegetation is made of coastal savannah in the south and savannah woodland to the north. Palm borasus ‘’agorti’’ is found in isolated places in the north-west parts of the district. Black berry tree (Velvet tamarind) locally called ‘’atitoe ti’’ is an important economic tree found in most parts of the areas surrounding Akatsi township. Around the Avu lagoon and its creeks are large tracks of reed locally called ‘’keti’’ which is used in weaving mats.

A physical potential of the district is the vast savannah grassland which is ideal for irrigated mechanised farming and livestock rearing.

The fauna comprises:

Rodents’ e.g. giant rat, grasscutter etc

Reptiles e.g. grass snake, cobra, etc

Birds e.g. store partridges, etc

The fauna in the district are good potentials for eco-tourism development.

WATER SUPPLY:

There are twenty-two (22) dams and dug-outs scattered throughout the district which have the potential for medium and small scale irrigation.

DEMOGRAPHIC AND CHARACTERISTICS:

POPULATION SIZE:

The population of the district according to the 2000 Population and Housing Census is 93,477 which are made up of 43,843 males representing about 46.9% of the total population and 49,634 females which contribute about 53.1% of the total population. About 96.3% of the total population is resident. The district population constitute about 5.7% of the regional population.

 

SEX COMPOSITION:

The sex ratio of male to female is 1:1.2; 73,847 of the population, i.e. about 79% lives in the rural areas whiles 19,617 about 21% of the population lives in the urban area.

3.3 POPULATION GROWTH RATE:

Between 1984 and 2000, the district recorded about 2.5% population growth rate which is higher than the regional growth rate of 1.8% but at par with the National growth- rate.

The table below shows the population of 19 major towns in the district.

Table:  POPULATION OF 19 MAJOR TOWNS IN 2000

S/N LOCALITIES TOTAL MALE FEMALE
1 Akatsi 19,617 8,940 10,677
2 Ave-Dakpa 2,953 1,223 1,730
3 Avenorpedo 1,771 817 954
4 Avenorpeme 1,381 583 798
5 Ave-Afiadenyigba 1,327 623 704
6 Ave-Posmonu 1,203 623 580
7 Ave-Xevi 1,163 549 614
8 Xavi 1,161 502 659
9 Ave-Havi 1,129 478 651
10 Wute 1,117 549 568
11 Gefia 1,053 463 590
12 Ave-Dzalele 1,043 544 499
13 Torve 1,028 470 558
14 Dzogadze 948 427 521
15 Agbedrafor 899 460 439
16 Atidzive 899 397 502
17 Agormor-Agado 662 299 363
18 Have 637 310 327
19 Ayitikope 572 310 262

SOURCE: 2000 Population and Housing Census.

 OCCUPATIONAL DISTRIBUTION:

Agriculture is the leading employer of the district’s workforce since the economy is a rural one. This accounts for about 75.5% of the labour force compared with the national figure of 49.2%

Next in importance to agriculture is commerce which employs about 18.35% followed by services 3.5% and industry 2.7%.

 

HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS:

The household total is 17,587 while the mean household size is 4.13.

Housing development in most parts of the district is structurally poor and inadequate in number. The most common building materials are laterite and straw used for roofing especially in the small towns and villages. The basic design is enclosed compound type common to most Ghanaian towns and villages.

Occasionally one comes across houses built with sandcrete blocks and roofed with corrugated iron sheet. There are also a few cases of mud houses roofed iron sheets. This tends to have a much longer life span. However, the situation appears to be changing in places such as Akatsi, Xavi, Avenorpeme, Ave-Dakpa, Gefia, Wute and a few other fast growing settlements. There are no physical development layouts for all the major towns since the layout prepared by the Town and Country Planning is yet to be implemented.

 

AGRICULTURE:

Agriculture in the district is mainly at the subsistence level. However, there are a few projects with improved subsistence and commercial production as well as Asian vegetables and pineapple production for export by PARAM FARM and TORNU FARMS respectively.

The district has a vast cultivatable land area but less than 40% are cultivated.

Therefore the district has a very good potential for the development of commercial agriculture.

 

FOOD CROPS:

Crop production is at the subsistence level with more intensity in the southern sector than the northern parts. Crops mainly grown include maize, cassava, sweet potato, cowpea, pepper, tomato, garden eggs, okra, groundnut and tobacco.

Land preparation is done manually with simple tools such as the cutlass and hoe. Some few farmers depend on tractor services depending on the financial position of the farmer. Many farmers do not have access to agricultural extension services due to the high extension-farmer ratio (1:3,277).

SEED GROWER

NAME OF FARMER LOCATION CROP VARIETY
Akuaku Nyekornakpoe Maize Improved

 

TREE CROPS:

In almost every village, there are farmers who cultivate between 0.5 hectares and 2 hectares of fuel wood. Also some Farmer Based Organisations (FBOs) have developed wood lots. These groups can be upgraded into co-operatives with the right approach.

Tree species cultivated include areas of land planted with cashew dotted all over the district and is a good sign that the production will have a base.

The black berry ‘’atitoe’’ which grows in the wild has much economic potential for accelerated development in the district. The market for the black berry extends to the neighbouring countries such as Togo, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire.

Table:  LAND BANKS:

LOCATION ACREAGE (HA) CONDITION OF ACQUISITION
Havi 50 Already acquired by Government
Livega 100 Leasehold
Wute 100 Leasehold
Ahlepedo 100 Leasehold
Dzalele 30 Leasehold
Lawui 300 Leasehold
Sigali-Bayive 300 Leasehold
Kpeduhoe 100 Leasehold
Ave-Agbozume 640 Leasehold

 

 

 SUGARCANE PRODUCTION:

Sugarcane is produced on all major geological formations. It is produced mainly for the production of alcohol in simple cottage distilleries. According to a 1978 feasibility report by Tate and Lyne Technical Services/ Taylor Woodrow International Ltd, the soil and climate in the Akatsi and Abor areas are favourable for the production of sugarcane.

Soil and topographical survey also defined a gross area of 12,500 hectares of land within which sugarcane estate could be established with the entire necessary infrastructure capable of producing up to 60,000tonnes of commercial sugar annually.

Among the findings are:-

Land area can be cultivated rapidly and has a potential for economic irrigation

Disruption and consequent resettlement would be minimal

Local farmers could be used as outgrowers to supplement the nucleus of estate organisation thus creating employment

 

APICULTURE

Through the initiatives of Heifer International Ghana (HPI) and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, beehives have been supplied to some communities such as Torve, Agorweme, Ave-Gborhome and Sesime.

This programme has made beekeeping to increase in the district.

The harvest for honey and bee wax is encouraging as such more farmers are showing interest in Apiculture.

ANIMAL PRODUCTION

 

Cattle production is scattered within the district but concentrated at Worwoe River drainage basin. There are no improved pastures as such animals have to go in search of pasture and water over long distances. However, there are some dug-outs and dams scattered over the area. These dug-outs have been dug specially for the cattle by cattle owners but eventually end up in serving both the community and the animals.

Sheep and goats are reared in almost every household within the district. Local breeds are the most common breeds used. But with the assistance of Heifer International Ghana (HPI) improved breeds of small ruminants have been introduced into some communities such as Wute and Adzikame to improve the local breeds.

On poultry, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Heifer International Ghana have distributed the improved cockerel to some farmers to cross the local hen in order to improve upon the breed of the local fowls.

FISHING

Fishing is minor and secondary activity as a result of the district land locked geographical location. However, there is minimal activity of fishing in the few dams, dug-out and streams. Proceeds from it are unable to meet the local demands.

 

INDUSTRIAL SECTOR

The manufacturing sector is not well developed. On-going manufacturing activities are small-scale or cottage industries centred on blacksmithing, welding, fabrication of agro-processing equipment such as motorised cassava grater. 

 

MARKETING

 

The major commercial activity in the district include buying and selling of both primary and secondary goods. 40% of the population is engaged in this activity out of which 85% are female.

The district has a commercial bank i.e. Ghana Commercial Bank Ltd, Akatsi. There is also a Rural Bank namely Avenor Rural Bank Ltd, Akatsi and an agency of the Unity Bank located at Ave-Dakpa.

The main marketing centres are located in Akatsi and Ave-Dakpa. Other smaller market centres are springing up at Ave-Xevi, Ave-Afiadenyigba and Avenorpeme.

The occurrence of these markets are every five (5) days and important wares sold in these markets are mostly farm produce.

10.0 SPECIAL PROJECTS

 

ROOT AND TUBER IMPROVEMENT AND MARKETING PROGRAMME (RTIMP)

The RTIMP national coordinating office is in Kumasi. Akatsi District is in the Zone 3 which is coordinated from Koforidua in the Eastern Region of Ghana.  The project seeks to multiply and distribute improved high yielding cassava planting materials to farmers. However, the emphasis is to link up all actors in the value chain in other to establish an effective marketing system that would be beneficial to all the players. The RTIMP began in the Akatsi District this year, 2010.

 

CASAVA:

The project seeks to multiply and distribute improved high yielding cassava planting materials to farmers. However, the emphasis is to link up all actors in the value chain in other to establish an effective marketing system that would be beneficial to all the players.

EMQAP:

This is a project under the Crop Services Directorate which is to ensure that quality horticultural products for the export markets.

SUBSIDISED FERTILIZER PROGRAMME:

This a programme introduced by the government to boost agricultural production and productivity in the country.

COCKREL:

Some cockerels have been sold to the farmers to improve the local breed.

 

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS:

 

Heifer International Ghana (HPI):

Focuses on poverty reduction by assisting communities and household to own and improve their small ruminants.

Beehives have been supplied for beekeeping.

Also some communities are provided with improved cockerels to improve the breed of the local fowls.

SNV:

Activities are centred in the horticulture sector.   Promoting the cultivation of pineapples and mangoes as well as linking the various players to external markets.

 

 

EXTENSION SERVICES

Extension service in the district has expanded considerably with the posting of some number of Agricultural Extension Agents (AEA) to the district. The current AEA number is 9. However, the AEA/Farmer ratio remains very low (about 1:3,277).

For administrative and technical purposes and for the ease of supervision, monitoring and evaluation, the district has been divided into nine (9) Operational Areas. Each manned by an AEA.

 

STRENGTHS/POTENTIALS:

The land can support commercial agriculture and it is also good for mechanised farming.

Several crops are grown by farmers. Notable among them are maize, cassava, sweet potato, cowpea, groundnut and vegetables

Cattle production is on a large scale and can be found throughout the district. Sheep, goats and pigs are also reared. Farmers use improved stock to cross local female breed thus improving the variety of the local breeds.

There are several Farmer based Organisations (FBO) through which Agricultural Extension Agents disseminate their extension messages.

There are also large tracts of low lying arable land with man-made dams scattered all over the district. The major sources of water include rivers, dams, dugout, wells, boreholes and rain water harvest .However, permanent rivers such as Tordze, Agblegborloe and Worwoe could be dammed for small-scale and large-scale irrigation schemes.

Tree planting of cashew and wood lot also has the potential in the district.

The total land bank available in the district is 1,720 hectares.

The district is linked up with three main trunk roads namely Accra-Aflao, Akatsi-Dzodze-Akanu and Ho-Aflao trunk roads. There are however, a number of feeder roads. Among these feeder roads are Akatsi-Wute-Ziope, Akatsi-Agormor-Dakpa, Akatsi-Kove-Dakpa, Akatsi-Xavi-Avenorpeme, Akatsi-Tuime-Kpodzivi-Adzikame, Avenorpeme-Akeve-Bayive, Akatsi-Dagbamate-Avenorpeme, etc.

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Agronomic Videos

minister

Hon. Bryan Acheampong

Minister

HON. YAW FRIMPONG ADDO

Hon. Yaw Frimpong Addo

Deputy Minister for Crops

Hon. Alhaji Hardi Tufeiru

Hon. Alhaji Hardi Tufeiru

Deputy Minister for Livestock

chief director

Mr. Paul Siameh

Ag. Chief Director

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