Farmers should improve on their products to attract exporters

Nsawam (E/R), Dec. 29, GNA - Major Albert Don-Chebe (Rtd), Community and Public Outreach Director of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) has urged farmers to use the training acquired from the authority to improve on their products to attract exporters.

    
"MiDA is more concern about farmers' welfare and their future well-being that is why it is providing them all the necessary assistance to enhance their farming capabilities to achieve their maximum before the programme rolled up."

    
Major Don-Chebe made the call at Nsawam in the Akuapem South Municipal Assembly during the second Municipal Advisory Committee meeting attended by farmers, departmental heads and stakeholders to discuss completed and ongoing projects in the municipality.

    
He said so far 1,300 farmers have been trained by MiDA and provided with loan facilities and equipment to improve on their output.

    
The Director said MiDA had rehabilitated six schools in six communities to enhance teaching and learning.

    
The authority has also regravelled roads in the municipality to give easy access for the evacuation of farming products to the urban centres.

    
Major Don-Chebe has urged MiDA beneficiary farmers to work hard to give the authority a better result before their programme ends in 2012.

    
He said the organisation would construct five silos for farmers in the municipality to help them store their farm wares to save them from post-harvest losses.

    
Mr Kingsley Kwabena Baah, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager of MiDA said 12 groups of farmers had undergone six weeks intensive capacity building and three weeks intensive workshop on how to write their business plans in order to attract loans from the commercial banks.

    
He said so far three groups had accessed the loans and are working hard with the monies received.

    
Mr Baah explained that the banks looks out for well organised and business plan before releasing money and therefore urged the farmers to use the experience gained to write the plan and access loans easily.

    
Nana Ofori Owusu, Community and Public Outreach Officer said MiDA had earmarked 85 communities and other roads to be rehabilitated and some of the beneficiary communities are Pakro, Damang-Ahwerease, Pokrom-Nsabaa, Nsakye and Amanfro.

    
Mr Justice Kingsley Yeboah, Presiding Member of the Municipal Assembly and also Chairman of the Committee commended MiDA for rehabilitating schools and roads in the municipality, especially the Nsawam - Pakro - Mangoase road, which would assists many farmers in Akuapem North and Akuapem North to transport their farming produce.

    
Mr Minta Fordjour, Akuapem South Director of Agriculture, said food safety was very important and therefore urged farmers to check the quantity of chemicals they use in cultivating their produce in order not to poison consumers.

GNA