Table 1: MAJOR CROP PRODUCE IN THE DISTRICT

CROPS	CULTIVATED AREA (HA)	YIELD TON/HA	TOTAL PRODUCTION TONNES
Yam	34,120	12	409,440
Groundnuts	9,150	0.4	3,660
Maize	38,500	1.5	57,750
Maize	38,500	1.5	57,750
Cassava	30,150	16	482,400
Rice	1,850	1.8	3,330
Cowpea	10,120	0.5	5,060
Vegetable	**	**	**
Oil Palm	**	**	**
Plantain	**	**	**
Cashew	**	**	**

Table 2: MAJOR AREAS CROP PRODUCTION IN THE DISTRICT

CROPS	MAJOR LOCATIONS OF PRODCUTION
Yam	Produced throughout the district
Groundnuts	Produced throughout the district
Maize	Produced throughout the district
Cassava	Produced throughout the district
Rice	Kpassa, Damanko, Morla and other wet lands throughout the district
Cowpea	Kpassa, Damanko, Azua, Tinjase, Nabu
Vegetable	Throughout the district especially Kpassa, Damanko, Nabu, Morla
Plantain	Kpassa
Oil Palm	Kpassa, Abunyanya
Cashew	Kpassa, Pibila, Abunyanya, Damanko

Most farmers in the district are small holders and about 90% of them still use simple hoes and cutlasses for cropping. Also most farmers depend on family labour and traditional ways of storing their produce. Post-harvest loses are very significant.

Agro-Processing

Agro processing in the District include gari , soybeang and utilization, instant cassava floor processing and fish processing/smoking. This activity is undertaken by about 60% of the women.

LIVESTOCK-SUB-SECTOR

Livestock farming is another prominent venture in the district. Cattle, small ruminants (sheep and goats) and poultry, both local and exotic can be found throughout the district. Animal husbandry practices in the district are very low. Average herd of small ruminants per household is five (5) animals and cattle per kraal/compound are 20 animals. Diary milk collection is very limited and meat sold by butchers is usually unprocessed.

Livestock Cencus Figures

SPECIES	POPULATION			MAJOR AREAS OF PRODUCTION
	2007	2008	2009
Cattle	2,015	2,860	3,368	Kpassa, Sibi, Damanko
Sheep	3,111	4,536	5,957	Kpassa, Damanko, Tinjase
Goats	10,068	12,661	15,599	Kpassa, Damanko,Tinjase
Poultry (Local)	39,897	41,600	44,118	Local breeds all over the district
Pigs	815	955	1,925	Kpassa and Damanko

Sub-Sector

Fishing is an important agricultural activity in the district. The district is blessed with the Oti River and its tributaries and people living in settlements around it do a lot of intensive fishing. Various types of fresh-water fishes are harvested from the river. Some of the species include:

• Oreochromis niloticus
• Alestes bavemoze
• Auchenoglanis occidentalis
• Bagrus bajad
• Brycinus nurse
• Chromidotilapia guentheri
• Hemichromis bimaculatus
• Clarias angularis
• Heterotis niloticus
• Chrysichthys nigroditatus
• Gymnarchus niloticus
• Citharinus citharus

The fishes are sold in the local markets in both fresh and smoked forms. Some are  transported to urban areas such as Accra, Koforidua, Tema, and Somanya.

SPECIAL PROJECTS

The District is benefiting from projects being implimented by various National Directorates. For instance the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is implementing the underlisted special projects.

• Cashew Development Project (CDP)
• Livestock Development Project (LDP)
• Fertilizer Subsidy Programme
• Block Farm Programme
• Root and Tuber Improvement and Marketing Programme(RTIMP)
• African Cashew Initiative(ACi)

Cashew Development Project (CDP)

The CDP seeks to increase the income levels of at least 3,000 small – scale farmers, including tree nursery operators, processors and seed dealers. The project objectives are

• To increase cashew production
• To increase village level processing of cashew
• To improve income levels/reduce poverty
• To generate foreign exchange

The project components include;

• Production Development
• Extension and Training
• Credit
• Project Management

Livestock Development Project (LDP)

The Livestock Development Project LDP seeks to increase the incomes of small holder Livestock and Dairy Farmers, Processors and traders. These are to be achieved through:

• Improved productivity of the indigenous breeds of livestock (cattle, sheep, goats and pigs)
• Increasing livestock access to improved quality fodder and seed.
• Control of the major disease of livestock and poultry
• Provision of credit to producers, processors and traders

The LDP is targeting an estimated 1000 small – scale Livestock farmers and processors over a six (6) year period in the District.

Roots and Tubers Improvement and Marketing Programme (RTIMP).

The root and tuber improvement and marketing programme (RTIMP) is a follow – up to the Root and Tuber Improvement Programme (RTIP) which was implemented over 1999 to 2005. The goal of RTIMP is to enhance income and food security to improve lives of the rural poor and to build a market–based system to ensure profitability at all levels of the value chain.The purpose of RTIMP

• Enhance market relations within the Root and Tuber commodity chain to ensure a “pull” factor for increased production and to facilitate a better balancing of supply and demand.
• Sustainable enhancement of farm level productivity of root and tuber crop.
• Improved root and tuber processing and marketing.
• Increased access of the economically active poor to working capital by promoting new target–group specific lending instruments.
• Organizational development including the creation of an Apex Body for root and tuber commodity chain.
• Information dissemination, education and communication campaigns

AGRICULTURAL POTENTIALS Agro – Processing Industries

The District has enormous potentials for Agro – processing industries; but presently, there are none.

Yam Processing Factories

Over 150,000 Tonnes of yams are produced annually in the District. The potential to increase the production is great.The factories can process the bulk into

• Yam fufu powder (CSIR FRI)
• Yam chip (crisps)
• Yam Samovita (yam + soyabean + maize flour)

 

Cassava Processing Factory

The Nkwanta North District currently produces over 169,167metricTonnes of Cassava annually. There is high possibility of increasing this level to 190,000 because of the potentials the District. The cassava produced can be processes into

i.   Starch for industrial use                 iii. Tapioca and biscuits

ii.  Gari                                              iv. Animal feed for livestock and poultry

Crops and Livestock Production Potentials

Potentials for crops and livestock production are enormous owing to vast stretches of land under very suitable climatic conditions for the following cash crops: cashew, mango jatropha, and for large scale rice and vegetable production.

In food crop production, the district has comparative advantage in the cultivation of several crops including: yam, maize, cassava, groundnut, and soybean. In terms of rice production, the district abounds in suitable vast tracts of land and water bodies for both irrigated and upland rice productions.

With the abundance of water and grasslands the potential for the production of livestock such as cattle, goat, sheep and poultry is enormous.

Beekeeping and grass-cutter production are also potential targets if farmers are given the necessary support by MOFA and NGO’s. The required supports are basically the provision of technical know-how and suitable equipment.

Markets

The major markets in the district are Kpassa and Damanko. Other minor ones are Sibi, Kabonwuli, Nabu and Tinjase. Kpassa and Damanko markets come off simultaneously on every sixth day. Tinjase market is on every Thursday. That of Nabu and Sibi markets are also on the sixth day. People in the various communities cart their produce by trucks or by head potterage to the marketing centres. Various goods ranging from food crop, fish and livestock are traded in.

MAJOR LOCAL MARKETS

No.	MARKETS	MAIN PRODUCTS	FREQUENCY	STATUS
1	Kpassa	Yams, fish, maize, sheep/goats, other foodstuffs	Every six day	Major
2	Damanko	Fish, yams, okro, pepper.	Every six day	Major
3	Sibi	Maize, Yam,  pepper	Every six day
4	Nabu	Maize, yams, fish mainly for Accra & other markets	Every six day	Minor
5	Danlare	Fish, Maize, Cassava	Every six day	Minor
6	Kabonwule	Maize, yams, fish-for Accra & other markets	Every Tuesday	Minor
7	Mamakura	Yams,cassava,sourghum,vegetables, Maize etc.	Every six day	Minor
7	Tinjase	Yams, cassava, vegetables	Every six day

 

6.4.8 Extension Services

Extension services in the District are improving rapidly with the decentralization of MOFA.  The District has been divided into four (4) beingsupervised by two officers.

SUPERVISING  ZONE	OPERATIONAL  AREA
KPASSA ZONE	KPASSA EAST KPASSA WEST KAMANCHU
ABUNYANYA	ABUNYANYA TINJASE NABU
DAMANKO	SIBI HILLTOP SIBI CENTRAL DAMANKO
MAMAKURA ZONE	MAMAKURA KABONWULE DANLARE