LOCATION
Cape Coast Municipality lies within latitudes 50.07’ to 50.20’ north of the Equator and between longitudes 1˚.11’ to 1˚.41’ west of the Greenwich Meridian.
BOUNDARIES
Cape Coast Municipal is bounded on the East by Abura – Asebu – Kwamankese District, West by Komenda – Edina – Eguafo – Abrem (K. E. E. A.) District, and South by the Gulf of Guinea and North by Twifo Heman Lower Denkyria District.
The Capital of the Municipality is Cape Coast. Other major communities include Efutu, Koforidua, Abura, Pedu and Nyinasin.
LAND AREA
Cape Coast Municipality covers a total land area of approximately 122 sq. km. (12,200 ha.).
POPULATION
The total population is 118,106 out of which 57,365 are males and 60,741 females. Farmers and fishermen as well as those into agricultural-related activities form about 60% of the population (Statistical Services, 2000 population census).
Active agricultural population is approximately 28,000. Commercial farmers are approximately 0.3% and peasants (majority) approximately 99.7%.
ARABLE LAND
The available land for agriculture is about 8,000 Ha. This implies that higher levels of production could be achieved for crops to meet both domestic and export market.
AGRICULTURAL LAND UNDER CULTIVATION
3,500 Ha currently under cultivation, with more available for expansion or development. Land holding, however, is less than 1ha for most farmers.
SOIL TYPE
Different types of soil series are found in the municipality. Classifications vary from the coast to the hinterland. Types found include Chichiwere-Kakum (suitable for tree crops), Ayensu-Chichiwere (suitable for both tree and non – tree crops) and Achenfu-Kuntu-Asokwa-Suprudu (mainly for non – tree crops).
VEGETATION & CLIMATE
Vegetation is mainly secondary forest with thickets and shrubs growing to an average height of
4.5 m. There is a coastline which is about 13 km long.
Temperatures range between 240 C to 320 C with Relative Humidities of between 60 % to 80 %.
There are two seasons of rainfall with peak in May – June and October. The annual total rainfall range between 90 cm and 110 cm along the coast to between 110 cm to 160 cm in the hinterland.
Dry periods (harmattan) are experienced between November and February.
TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE SYSTEM
Land is generally hilly and the highest point is approximately 60m above sea level with valleys in between the hills
The major stream and river are Siwere and Kakum respectively. Lagoons include the Fosu. Flood prone areas lie below 60m above sea level. Rivers and streams end up in wetlands and finally drain into the Fosu Lagoon at Bakaano and the sea at Abakam (this one marks the boundary between the Municipality and K. E. E. A. District.
MAJORTREECROPS
CROP |
AREA (HA)
UNDER PRODUCTION |
AVERAGE YIELD MT/HA | ANNUAL PRODUCTION (MT) |
| Oil Palm
Citrus Coconut |
90
738.64 22 |
7.5
11.47 5 |
675
8,474.65 110 |
MAJORSTAPLECROPS
CROP |
AREA
(HA) |
AVERAGE YIELD MT/HA | ANNUAL PRODUCTION MT/HA |
| Maize
Cassava Sweet potato Plantain Groundnut Tomato Pepper Egg Plants Cabbage Lettuce Carrot |
678
736 55 134 10 45 91 52 10 5 4 |
1.83
14.12 10.2 8.95 0.60 0.16 0.088 0.09 0.60 0.17 0.57 |
1,240.7
10,392.32 561 868.15 6.0 7 8 5 6 0.85 2.3 |
LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION
| TYPE OF LIVESTOCK | NUMBERS |
| Cattle
Sheep Goat Pig Poultry (improved) Grasscutter Local birds Ducks Rabbit |
110
18,000 24,000 400 45,000 54 63,000 115 50 |
FISHCATCHESTIMATES
| TYPE OF FISH | ANNUAL TOTAL (kg) |
| Anchovy | 7,582.56 |
| Barracuda | 6.07 |
| Bumper | 453.10 |
| Burrito | 44.00 |
| Burro | 233.93 |
| Cassava/ croaker | 74.97 |
| Decapterus (pamplo) | 694.67 |
| Frigate mackerel | 736.28 |
| Horse mackerel | 493.45 |
| King fish | 9.44 |
| Long- finned herring | 135.54 |
| Meagre | 176.12 |
| Moonfish | 280.68 |
| Pampano | 324.40 |
| Ribbon fish | 504.38 |
| Rancador | 23.64 |
| Round sardinella | 1,836.14 |
| Scald mackerel | 67.31 |
| Chub mackerel | 74.51 |
| Sharks | 2.23 |
| Shrimps | 189.12 |
| Threadfin | 24.78 |
| Miscellaneous | 178.13 |
| TOTAL | 14,145.47 |
AGRICULTURAL GROUPS
A total of 30 Farmer groups were formed in the municipality and registered with the Metropolitan Directorate of Agriculture by the end of 2008. Out of this number, seven were registered with Department of Cooperatives. Efforts are made constantly to form new groups and get them registered but over the years several groups have disintegrated or they so weak that they virtually do not exist. The groups identified are into crops and livestock production, fish, cassava and palm kernel oil processing.
AGRICULTURALCREDIT
Formal Source: Ghana Commercial Bank, Agricultural Development Bank, Kakum Rural Bank, National Investment Bank, Twifo Rural Bank, Assinman Rural Bank and Credit Unions.
Informal Source: Susu/Money Lenders, Self and/or family source.
MAJOR MARKET
Cape Coast
Market Days – All Days
Facilities in the market include:
– stalls
– Taxi/lorry station
– Toilet
– Hospitals nearby
– Banks nearby
– Water
– Slaughter House
– Cold stores nearby
– Electricity
– Schools nearby
– Ware/storehouses
Smaller markets exist in most communities e.g. Abura and Efutu.
TRANSPORTATION
Mainly by buses, trucks and cars (taxi) and head portage. Within farming communities (house to farm), it is mainly by head portage.
COMMUNICATION
- Postal Services
- Vodafone land lines well developed in the municipality
- Mobile services available include MTN, Vodafone, TiGo, Kasapa and Zain
- Courier, Fax and E-mail services are also available
ROAD NETWORK
Roads within the central business areas are tarred and named. Roads linking Cape Coast to Twifo Praso, Elmina and Saltpond are all tarred.
Roads linking farms to communities are laterite and bad during most parts of the year.
AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY/IMPLEMENTS/TOOLS FABRICATING COMPANY
- GRATIS FOUNDATION
- A number of Artisans, about 55
NUMBER OF AGRICULTURAL FACILITIES
Farm implements are mostly hoes and cutlasses.
– Tractors: 3
– Ware/Storehouses: 9
– Corn Mills: 45
– Palm oil/ Palm kernel oil processing machines: 10
– Cassava processing machines: 20
– Cold Stores for fish: 10
– Soap manufacturing industry (using mostly palm oil): 1
AGRICULTURAL INPUT DISTRIBUTION
Private sector controls sale of agricultural inputs. Prices of inputs such as cutlass, fertilizers, pesticides, knapsack sprayers, planting materials, feed, drugs, other veterinary chemicals, fishing gears, simple tools and equipments are usually high.
LABOUR CONDITIONS
- Scarce at peak of farming season
- Cost is quite high; currently ranging between GH¢45.00 – GH¢50.00/acre weeding (approximately US$31.03 to $34.48 @ $1 = GH¢1.45 exchange rate.)
COLLABORATINGNGOs/INSTITUTIONS
- GIZ/MOAP
- UCC
- EPA
AGRICULTURALINVESTMENTPOTENTIALSINCAPECOASTMUNICIPALITY
Land suitable for the production of citrus, oil palm, cassava, maize, vegetables (pepper, okra, egg-plant, cabbage, watermelon etc.) and plantain on large scale.
There is a river and streams suitable for Irrigation Scheme development. Aquaculture is feasible. Rice can also be cultivated in the valley bottoms and catchment areas of the streams.
Marine fishing is another major activity along the coast. Mainly canoes and few motorized vessels do this. No major fish-landing site is developed in the area. A fish market site is necessary in the municipality.
Establishment of multipurpose agro-processing facilities for citrus is feasible. Cottage industries to process citrus, vegetables and or fish will be viable in the area. Raw materials to feed these industries could be easily produced with little effort and assistance to farmers and fishermen.
There are busy markets at Cape Coast, Abura and nearby Mankessim and Jukwa for produce to be sold.
2010 FERTILIZER SUBSIDY PROGRAMME
The Cape Coast Metro Agricultural Development Unit had a full participation in the implementation of the nationwide 2010 Government Fertilizer Subsidy Programme. Unlike the previous year’s coupon-based distribution system, the 2010 programme was a waybill-receipt system which proved to be a more efficient system. Several tons of subsidized fertilizer came to the one main distribution depot in Cape Coast but the figures shown in the table below indicates fertilizer bought from retail shops and used by farmers in the Cape Coast Metropolis.
| Type of Fertilizer |
June/July |
August |
September |
October |
November |
Total |
| 15-15-15 (N.P.K) | 55 | 75 | 50 | 81 | 71 | 332 |
| 23-10-05 (N.P.K) | 18 | 10 | 6 | 54 | 20 | 108 |
| Sul. of Ammonia | 35 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 46 | 108 |
| Urea | 9 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 37 | 70 |
| Total | 117 | 106 | 68 | 153 | 174 | 618 |
BLOCK FARM
The Cape Coast Metro Agric Development Unit undertook two block farm projects: maize and vegetables block farms. For the maize farm which started around mid-May, we had 17 acres cultivated by 17 farmers. These did not do well enough because of poor weather conditions but input loan recovery was more than 85%. Recovery exercise continues.
The vegetable block farm project did much better with the 13 acres that were put under cultivation. Input loan recovery was over 95%. But that was not without trouble. Most beneficiary farmers paid up their debt over an extended period of time and after several reminding and warning letters have been served. Input loan recovery is, in fact, a very difficult exercise. Farmers have in the past received inputs for free through demonstration programmes and especially by certain NGOs like ADRA. So they have developed the mentality that input loans are for free and that it is AEAs and MoFA staff who want to collect money for themselves.
COCKEREL PROJECT
The unit received three batches of Cockerels for distribution to interested farmers. In all, a little over 1200 cockerels have been distributed to 59 beneficiary farmers. Farmers are generally very happy with the project because they have seen that the chicks are of a very high quality leading to very little mortality. Their growth rate and feed conversion efficiency is appreciable.
ROOT AND TUBER IMPROVEMENT AND MARKETING PROGRAMME
2010 Activities:
- Secondary multiplication farms
- Tertiary farmers
- Farmer field fora
- Micro enterprise fund
Cassava Secondary multiplication farms
Number of farmers involved; – 4
Total acreage cultivated – 2hacters
244 Tertiary farmers supplied with 10 bundles of cassava planting material to cultivate 24.4 hectors
Stakeholder’s forum was organised for root and tuber processors, producers, traders, caterers, transporters, researchers’ Agriculture officers.
Farmers Field Fora was organised for sweetpotato farmers in Dehia and Brabedze.
The main objective of Farmer Field Fora is, to address identified technical problems the farmers are facing. This is to be participatory therefore consultation and collaboration with the farmers and their involvement in the planning and implementation stages was very necessary.
55 farmers were involved in the FFF from the two communities.
Micro Enterprise Fund (MEF)
This is an intervention fund to address the processing lapses. The fund is to be accessed by processors of Root and Tuber crops to be used to up grade their processing equipments to conform to international standard.
The fund breakdown is as follows
- 10% personal contribution
- 40% grant from RTIMP
- 50% loan from accredited financial institution. ( Ecobank)
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS FOR 2010
The Cape Coast Metropolitan Agric Development Unit was able to achieve many of the extension and operational targets set out in our 2010 annual work plan. Some major ones include the following:
- We organized over 300 demonstrations in various modern agricultural techniques and technologies
- Established 32 demonstration farms in different communities in maize, cassava, sweet potato and vegetable production.
- Carried out over 120 field days and study tours in various communities within and outside the metropolitan area
- Trained over 1800 farmers in crop production, livestock and poultry production, veterinary/animal health technologies as well as in agribusiness, agro-processing, teamwork and group relationship and management technologies
- Veterinary major programmes/achievements for 2010 are shown in Table below: