News
‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ and the challenges of mechanisation
The Planting for Food and Jobs Programme (PFJ) is one of the flagship initiatives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration and farm mechanisation has a crucial role to play in the success of this initiative.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) has recently announced that it intends to invest about $500 million in the sector to revamp the country’s farm mechanisation centres.
Over the years, governments had imported various brands of tractors and other farm machinery into the country with the aim of boosting agricultural productivity.
It has been reported quite recently that since 2017, the government has invested over $269 million worth of farm equipment in the agricultural sector with nearly 5,000 pieces of farm equipment having been distributed to farmers.
Over time some of these equipment are able to survive but majority of them break down and fade out due to poor maintenance and servicing. For instance during 2000-2010, over 3,000 tractors of varying makes and brands were imported into Ghana but within a short time most of them failed and became unusable.
One unsung factor that has a positive impact on the longevity of farm machinery is lubrication, which is usually ignored in farm equipment servicing.
The PFJ can benefit immensely from effective mechanisation if owners and managers of farm machinery will consider the lubrication of their equipment as a critical activity in the maintenance and care of their machinery.
Mechanisation reduce drudgery of farm work, increase productivity and improve the quality of farm work generally.
Modern tractors and other farm machinery which drive the mechanisation processes are expected to be efficient, reliable, comfortable and safe notwithstanding the large loads and high operating temperature conditions they face. To achieve these ends, one needs to look at lubrication in respect of the operation of farm machinery.
Lubrication is a prime requirement for all machines, equipment or plants including farm equipment as it adds to the life and efficiency of the machine or equipment by reducing wear and tear of its components.
This in turn will lead to fewer breakdowns, greater machine availability and utility, lower maintenance costs and longer machine life.
Tractor and other farm machines, by their unique design and functions, have many moving parts than conventional automobiles and so their lubrication requirements are extensive and different. Because of that oils designed for automobiles such as cars, trucks, vans are not advisable for use in tractors and other farm machines.
Modern Tractor Lubricants are roughly classified into two types :
Universal Tractor Transmission Oils ( UTTO), and
Super Tractor Universal Oils (STOU)
The UTTO oil is a single multi-functional oil designed to be used for tractor transmission and hydraulic systems as well as wet brakes, clutches and final drives.
The STOU oil can be regarded as the UTTO having in addition an engine lubrication capability. The choice of any of the above-named categories is dictated by the design make of the machine which can in all cases be found in the Users Manual of the machine.
In our country, it is a fact that farm owners have tended to use lubricants originally meant for vehicles and cars for their farm equipment and continue to do so.
This practice causes irreversible damage to tractor engines and transmission components thereby reducing their productive life and creating high maintenance costs and eventual breakdowns of the machines.
This practice is no longer recommendable for modern tractors and other agricultural equipment and use of lubricants specially designed and formulated exclusively for tractors and other farm equipment must be encouraged and used to ensure that mechanisation plays its expected role in the PFJ programme.
The current practice is that equipment dealers and supplier companies import their lubricants to service the machinery they supply and they don’t come for free. They are very expensive and that is probably why machinery users often tend to resort to using “ordinary oils” for their machines and end up destroying the machines to the detriment of their business and the nation.
Fortunately, Ghana has a local lubricant blending plant which is ISO 9001 certified which is capable of producing high quality UTTO and STOU lubricants locally for farm machinery users to curtail the high attrition rate of farm equipment in the country.
This local Blending Plant in collaboration with its franchise private sector partners is capable of producing and supplying high quality lubricants for the the farming industry as a whole at comparatively lower cost and MOFA must explore the opportunities therein and lend its support appropriately.
Training of mechanics at Tractor Service Centres and individual tractor owners in the choice and use of tractor lubricants is worth considering by authorities at MOFA.
By Dr KA Kwakye
Lubrication Consultant
Goldmark Petroleum Services Ltd
(www. goldmarkgh.com)
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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