Over 500 bags of NSS farm maize to be distributed to SHSs – MoE

The Ministry of Education is expected to receive 600 bags of maize from the National Service Scheme (NSS) farm from its maiden harvest for the feeding of Senior High School students, the Minister for Education, Yaw Adutwum has said.

The Education Minister disclosed after he was welcomed to embark on a tour to explore the vast 50,000 acres of National Service Scheme farmland intended for agricultural purposes situated at Sekyere Plains in the Ashanti Region.

Joined by officials from the Scheme and agricultural experts, Adutwum embarked on a comprehensive tour of the farm, which has become a key component of the government’s efforts to support the Planting for Foods and Jobs initiative.

The Minister in Charge of Education hinted at the central government’s plan to reintroduce school farms for hands-on experience for students in Agriculture in various government Senior High Schools across the country.

“We are also supporting the setup of school farms. That together would really create an opportunity for the sustainability of the school feeding projects,” the Minister for Education, Osei Yaw Adutwum added.

Currently, 2,000 acres of the farm under the Sekyere Kumawu Economic Enclave Project (SKEEP) are actively dedicated to the cultivation of rice and maize, yielding substantial harvests, which are subsequently used to support the school feeding program in Ghana.

This initiative according to the management of the National Service Scheme (NSS) not only aids in providing food for the country but also provides employment opportunities for local farmers and national service personnel.

Speaking to journalists, the Executive Director of Ghana National Service Scheme, Osei Assibey Antwi, said produce from the farms is expected to support the school feeding programme and the free Senior High School (Free SHS).

“If the government is supporting us to grow maize, then the end result is going to support government projects including the school feeding programme and the Free Senior High School (Free SHS).

We’ve signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Poultry Farmers Association, and hopefully, we will serve the entire country,” the Director for the Ghana Service Scheme, Osei Assibey Antwi told the media.