By Christopher Tetteh/ Gladys Osei Mensah, GNA
Odumase (B/R), June 19, GNA – The Sunyani West District Assembly has presented 140,000 cashew seedlings to be distributed among farmers registered under the government’s Planting for Exports and Rural Development (PERD) Programme
The beneficiary farmers were 1,400, while a farmer was supposed to receive a minimum of 80 seedlings.
But others, being members of farmer-based organisations and cooperative societies would be receiving 100 or more free of charge.
Last year, the District distributed 30,000 seedlings to a number of cashew farmers in the District.
Speaking at a symbolic presentation ceremony on Monday at Odumase, Mr. Martin Obeng, the District Chief Executive (DCE) said in addition that the District was embarking on oil palm project under the PERD Programme to create more employment avenues and source of wealth creation for the people.
He said each beneficiary farmer was expected to cultivate two-acre land, announcing that the Assembly had arranged with the District Directorate of Agriculture for its Agriculture Extension Agents (AEAs) to guide and assist the farmers “in the planting process for the right thing to be done to avoid waste of public funds”.
Mr Obeng emphasised that plans by the government to establish the National Cashew Board that would regulate the cashew industry was still on course, saying with the establishment of the Board there would be standardised prices for the cash crop.
He said the government was committed and was working hard to make the cashew industry attractive, and advised the unemployed youth to take advantage and go into cashew farming as a viable economic venture.
Mr Obeng expressed the hope that developing and modernising the agricultural sector would be a catalyst to transform the economy, hence the implementation of the PERD, Planting for Food and Jobs (PfFJs), One-District-One-Factory (1D1F) and other programmes and policies.
Mr. Gilbert Sonkpi, the District Director of Agriculture advised farmers to go into economic crops plantation for maximum financial returns to improve on their socio-economic livelihoods.
He said economic trees such as orange,coconut, mango and cashew had ready markets and huge economic potentials that could transform their standard of living.
GNA
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