Government is to establish a rice processing factory to be sited at Adugyama the district capital of Ahafo Ano South East in the Ashanti Region before the end of the year in order to boost rice production in the area for both local consumption and export.
The District Chief Executive Joseph Agyemang Dapaah announced this when he addressed over one hundred rice farmers drawn from the district at a project forum held at Adugyama under the auspices of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)/Soil Research Institute in collaboration with AFRICARICE (CIPA) and funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development Africa Rice Centre.
The objective was to evaluate newly- introduced rice varieties, rice-fish culture for food, good agronomic practices, capacity building of farmers and futther took the reaseachers from Adugyama to Biemso No1 community where rice farming is cultivated on a larger scale.
The Co-ordinator for the project Dr Ephraim Sekyi-Annan,a research officer delivering his address on behalf of the Regional Director of Soil Research Institute, Prof Buri Moro, pointed out that the farmers would be the greater beneficiaries with the implementation of the rice-fish farming and assured them of the institute’s support to make the project a success.
Embracing the project, a former chief farmer for the district Adu-Tawiah explained the local rice is more nutritious than the foreign ones and urged Ghanaians to patronize its consumption.
The Secretary to the rice farmers association at Biemso No1, Moro Mahama disclosed the activities of illegal miners (galamsey) is seriously affecting their production and called on the authorities to address the situation.
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com
