Job Opportunities In Grasscutter Rearing

Each year, Ghana’s forestry authorities place temporary ban on hunting to ensure animals are not in extinct in the forests. But this is often violated apparently because most Ghanaians have good taste for bush meat and such species are hunted for commercial purposes.

In a bid to protect the forests while satisfying demand for bush meat, the country’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture is encouraging a group of farmers to promote domestic rearing of the bush meat, especially grasscutter.

Kofi Adu Domfeh reports that the venture is attracting the interest of the youth to earn income from the non-traditional agriculture sector.

Report:
Sfx: sound of grasscutter chumming…

I meet Joseph Prempeh on his grasscutter farm, located on the outskirts of the city. He is busy attending to the nutritional needs of his animals. To get them attracted to the meal, Joe attempts speaking the language of the animals.
Sfx…

Joe shares his experience in establishing a grasscutter farm.
Cue: GRASS
In Ghana, most households and restaurants serve meals with grasscutter on the menu. Apparently, the taste for the delicacy is without remedy to forest’ sustainability.
The Grasscutter Farmers’ Association has the agenda of promoting commercial production of the forest specie.

With support from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the association directs members to expand their sources of income by going into beekeeping, mushroom and snail farming.

Eli Kumatse is a Director at the Ministry. He says non-traditional agriculturists are afforded the requisite technical support to improve production.
Cue: GRASS-1

Mr. Kumatse says the Ministry is encouraging the rural and urban youth to seek job opportunities in the sector and contribute to food security.
Cue: GRASS-2
The Grasscutter Farmers Association is already creating avenues for interested persons to acquire the basic knowledge and skills in establishing productive farms.

At one of such empowerment sessions, I sampled opinions of new farmers and other participants on the importance of promoting the grasscutter industry.
Cue: GRASS
Financial institutions are beginning to turn attention to the sector as some farmers expand from small-scale to big agriculture enterprises.

From Ghana, Kofi Adu Domfeh reporting…