07-01-2010 BOLGATANGA SEED HOUSE IN DANGER
The Bolgatanga seed warehouse, housing varieties of seed crops including maize, soybean, rice, sorghum, and groundnuts among others is in a state of jeopardy. The warehouse since its establishment in 1972 has not seen any rehabilitation, thus, hampering the activities of staff operating at the company. During rainy season, the roof of the building badly leaks as some parts of the building have developed cracks. The Regional Lands Protection and Regulatory Services Officer, Sylvester Logo, who revealed this to the Upper East Regional Minister, Mark Woyongo, at Bolgatanga, said the machinery used in processing the seeds are broken down and needs replacement. He said the poor maintenance of the warehouse over the years, have greatly affected production citing the seed laboratory which nearly caught fire due to the weak electrical wiring system which, according to him, is in a bad state. Mr. Logo who took the Regional Minister round the warehouse, therefore appealed to the government to come to the aid of the warehouse to help increase food production in the region and the country at large. He disclosed that 11,000 mini bags of certified jasmine rice seed currently stored at the warehouse can occupy at least 13-15 acres of farm lands for the dry season farming. The storage facility, he explained, is under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s Expanded Project geared at providing quality seeds to private seed growers and farmers for cultivation. At Pwalugu, Mr. Woyongo inspected a large acreage of land privately owned by individual farmers and MOFA. He also inspected the sprinkler irrigation system adopted by the farmers to irrigate their farms with the White Volta as their source. Mr. Woyongo, who was accompanied by the District Chief Executive of Talensi-Nabdam, Mrs. Vivian Anarfo and the Acting Regional Director of Agric, Alhaji Abdul Razak Zibrim, later interacted with the farmers. Mr. Woyongo cautioned farmers who farm very close to the river bank to desist from the act before the river becomes silted. He commended the farmers for their hard work and pledged his unflinching support when the need arises. Mr. Woyongo advised the farmers to form co-operatives so that they can contribute to purchase water pumps and fertilizers for their seed crops.
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07-01-10 Northern Star Tomato Factory to Be Ready By End of January
The Ministry of Trade and Industries has assured farmers in the Upper East Region that the Northern Star Tomato Factory, formerly, Pwalugu tomato factory at Pwalugu in the Upper East Region, would be revamped before the end of January, this year. In line with this, the ministry has allocated an amount of 20 million Ghana Cedis for rehabilitation work to begin. This was made known by the Upper East Regional Minister; Mark Woyongo, when he was addressing farmers at Pwalugu as part of his tour to inspect some farm lands and the Bolgatanga seed house. Mr. Woyongo revealed that a 3-member delegation from the ministry is currently in the region to assess the state of the factory. He noted that the factory when finally rehabilitated will create employment for the teeming unemployed youth in the region and also enhance tomato production in the country. This, he said will halt the importation of tomato paste into the country. It will also encourage tomato farmers to increase their yield. Mr. Woyongo disclosed that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has taken delivery of 100 irrigation pumps as parts of efforts to boost irrigation and also increase food production in the region. The pumps would be distributed to farmers in the remotest parts of the region on high purchase and advised the farmers to form groups to help them purchase the pumps with ease. Mr. Woyongo said for the next two years government is going to place much emphasis on the development of agriculture in the three Northern Regions to reduce poverty and also ensure food security. Mr. Woyongo stressed that government is further looking at possible ways of reducing fertilizer and other farm inputs for farmers in the country.
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