World Food Day : Traders plead for plantain processing factory to prevent thousands going waste

Plantain farmers and traders in the Assin Fosu Municipality of the Central region are pleading with President Akufo-Addo and investors to establish a plantain processing factory in the area to avoid wastage which usually occurs in the bumper harvest.

The Assin Fosu Municipality is a major producer of plantain in the Central region.

This is due to the fact that residents of the area are predominantly cocoa farmers who use plantain, as a supporting crop for their cocoa plantations at the early stages of such farming activity.

The situation means the supply of plantain exceeds demand every year, especially in the month of August, September and October.

During this period, a full bunch of plantain is sold between GHC2 and GHC10, depending on its size.

However, the same commodity becomes very scarce in the month of December and January.

It’s against this background that traders and farmers are pleading with the government to set up a plantain processing factory to avoid the losses which have become an annual ritual.

The traders and farmers in question spoke to Adom News as part of the World Food Day celebration which seeks to achieve zero hunger by 2030.

FAO celebrates World Food Day each year on 16 October to commemorate the founding of the Organization in 1945.

Events are organized in over 150 countries across the world, making it one of the most celebrated days on the UN calendar.

These events promote worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure food security and nutritious diets for all.

World Food Day is a chance to show our commitment to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 – to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030.

It’s also a day for us to celebrate the progress we have already made towards reaching #Zerohunger.