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01.09.2012 General News

Avatime Rice festival 2012 launched in Accra

01.09.2012 LISTEN
By GNA

Accra, Aug.31,GNA – The Avatime Traditional Area on Friday launched this year's Avatime Amu (Rice) festival in Accra dubbed “Biakpa 2012” to raise fund towards a water project at Avatime-Biakpa in the Volta Region.

The Rice festival, whioch is in its third year is slated for November 4-11, 2012 at Avatime-Biakpa.

The theme for this year's event is “Accelerating Socio- Economic Growth and Employment Generation through Rice Culture and Eco-tourism.”

Speaking at the launch and fund raising event, His Majesty Osie Adza Tekpor VII, Paramount Chief of the Avatime Traditional Area, said the festival would be used to showcase the nutritional value of the local brown rice as well as the tourism potentials of the area.

He said the festival was first celebrated at Avatime-Vane in 2010 and followed by Amedzofe in 2011 and that it would be rotated in the seven major communities of the area.

The other communities are Gbadzeme, Biakpa, Dzogbefeme, Fume and Dzokpe.

He said the celebration of the festival is significant and symbolic because it gives life to the citizens.

“The Crop has served the people of Avatime all this years and needs to be celebrated,” he added.

He called on all citizens to sustain the cultivation of the crop for economic growth and to also improve on the living conditions of the people.

His Majesty Adza Tekpor VII noted that the area is also promoting eco-tourism for national development.

He urged all citizens of the land both home and abroad to support their people to develop the area.

He appealed to the youth to channel their energies into useful ventures for the development of the area.

Okusie Takyi X, Chief of Avatime-Biakpa, said the town is embarking on a water project, which is estimated at GH¢250,000.

He said the traditional area was committed to changing the circumstance of the people and to improve on their living conditions.

He said the purpose of celebrating the festival on rotational basis was to provide developmental projects to all the communities in the area.

GNA

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