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Livestock Farmers in Tamale Metro Area introduced to new technology for feeding their animals

A technology for livestock feeding during the dry season has been demonstrated to livestock farmers in six communities of the Tamale Metropolitan area. The technology known as the urea treatment of rice straw is for livestock feeding. The demonstration which will take three weeks long was begun on Tuesday, 1st December 2020 at Ticheli community in the Tamale Metropolis.

Head of the animal production unit at the department of agriculture at Tamale Metro, Alhaj Yussif Fuseini Amuda who lead the demonstration as part of their annual work plan, said animal rearing should be seen as a viable venture that must be given attention in order to alleviate farmers’ of poverty especially during the dry season.

He said instead of buying maize chaff to feed livestock during the dry season, farmers can rely on this technology which is a worldwide practice to assist them in feeding their livestock to remain healthy until the rainy season when other feeding options such as grass is available.

The demonstration he added was part of the agriculture department’s Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) initiative sponsored by the Canadian government.

Present at the commencement of the demonstration were farmers from Ticheli, the host community, Gukpegu-tua, Gbabshe, Nanton Zuo, Wamale and Chanzeni. A total of 20 farmers attended the ceremony from these communities.

Participants at the demonstration of the urea treatment of rice straw at Ticheli

The Tamale Metropolitan Director of the Department of Agriculture, Adama Iddrisu Abdulai, called on the farmers to adopt this technology as they stand to benefit when his outfit rolls out the ‘rearing for food and jobs’ policy which has started with farm birds and livestock, next year. He further asked the farmers to take their occupation seriously saying agriculture should now be taken as a business and not a pass time activity.

Tamale Metro Agriculture Department Director and his team at Ticheli

For his part, an agricultural extension agent in charge of the vittin catchment area where these communities are located, Mr. Ziblim Mohammed said the participating communities should see the adoption of the technology as a challenge. And whichever community practices it well will be rewarded. He added that he has about ten communities in his jurisdiction but chose these six because of the seriousness they attach to livestock rearing. He said they should therefore let his choice lead to a positive outcome in adoption.

Some participants at the demonstration exercise on urea treatment of rice straw at Ticheli

The start of the demonstration involved the digging of a pit and four milo tins of urea mixed in about 20litres of water sprinkled on two sacks full of rice straw and buried in the pit.

It will mature on 21st December, 2020, that is in three weeks’ time when all the participating farmers from the six communities will converge again for it to be served to some animals as a start. Similar demonstration exercises of the same technology will take place at Jonshegu on Wednesday and Dufaa on Thursday for livestock farmers in communities in those clusters. The urea treatment of rice straw demonstration has previously been done in Changli and Nanton Changnaayili.

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