AGRICULTURE

Suame Assembly annonces plan to start PFJ programme
The Suame Municipal Assembly has announced that plans are underway to engage in aquaculture for food and job creation.

Date Created : 5/20/2019 12:00:00 AM : Story Author : Florence Afriyie Mensah

Dr. John Osei Bobie Boahin, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said the Owabi basin would be the project site with an initial 20 ponds, costing GH¢160, 000.00.

It is expected to generate employment for pond contractors, machine operators, fish sellers, transporters, and other auxiliary workers.

Dr. Bobie Boahin, who was addressing the first ordinary meeting of the second session of the Assembly at Suame in the Ashanti Region, said non-traditional farming was also high on their agenda.

This includes rabbit farming, grasscutter rearing, mushroom, and snail farming, turkey and fowl rearing as well as other related enterprises, which would increase the income levels of actors along the value chain.

The MCE indicated that the livestock sector was also receiving utmost attention from the Assembly, because, the Municipality had a competitive advantage in terms of livestock production.

Consequently, the Assembly, through a public-private-partnership is putting up an ultra-modern abattoir at Suame-Kotoko, which would meet international standards, while catering for the livestock that may be slaughtered, when the project commences.

Dr. Bobie Boahin further disclosed that the Assembly was facilitating access of farmers and agro-processors to agro-machines and equipment produced at the Suame Magazine - reputed to be Africa's largest metal fabrication enclave.

The move, he noted, was to reduce the importation of agricultural machinery and equipment to mechanics in line with the government's agenda to move Ghana Beyond Aid.

The MCE was of the view that agriculture had the greatest impact on poverty reduction than most sectors of the economy, and for that reason, the Assembly had stepped up efforts to harnessing the inherent potentials in the sector.

Therefore, under the Planting for Food and Jobs programme, he said, the Assembly was cultivating 100 acres of maize and implored the people to hold themselves in readiness for the job opportunities being made available.