Agotime -Ziope Tomato Farmers Call On Government To Establish Tomato Processing Factory.
Tomato farmers at Agotime – Ziope in the Volta Region have appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo to construct a tomato processing factory to process their produce under his flagship initiative One-District-One-Factory.
The factory will go a long way to help tomato farmers in the community since that is the main occupation in the area and proper regional balance for the establishment of the 1D1F initiative to enhance job creation to improve the livelihood of the people they said.
According to the farmers the call for the factory is as a result of constant post-harvest loses due to bumper harvests and the lack of a ready market to sell their produce which puts them at a disadvantage with market women dictating prices for them.
A farmer, Mr Bright Jackson said they have had several promises concerning the construction of factories from successive governments. Promises which have still not been fulfilled, thus they are forced to sell their produce to market women for as low as Ghc 5.00 per box instead of Ghc 350. 00.
Speaking on Rite Morning Ride, he mentioned that they have run into loses with banks chasing them for refunds of loans taken to invest into their farms.“We have lost most of our friends, they committed suicide because banks were after them and could not stand it, how can we sell a box of tomatoes for less than Ghc 10.00?
He then called on Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo Addo to establish the factory to end rural urban migration in the area because they will be encouraged by the existence of the factory to also venture into it to reduce the rate of graduate unemployment in the region.
Meanwhile the MP for Agotimeh – Ziope, Hon Charles Agbeve assured that he will work hand in hand with the assembly to solve the problem for them.
He said he will be meeting the farmers to discuss together how to find lasting solution to it and described it as worrying. “Its heart breaking to see how these gallant farmers loose huge sums through post-harvest loses and I promise it will be a thing of the past”
The mission of the One-District, One-Factory programme is to identify and create business opportunities in the districts, harnessing the strengths and resources of the locals in an efficient technology and demand driven value chain.
The programme is expected to facilitate the creation of between 7,000 to 15,000 jobs per district and between 1.5 million and 3.2 million nationwide by end of 2021.
Program was instituted by His Excellency, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo to address the challenge of slow economic growth at the district level through a massive nationwide industrialisation drive, which will equip and empower communities to utilise their local resources in manufacturing products that are in high demand both locally and internationally.
This will allow the country to reap the well-known rewards of industrialization, such as gains in efficiency in every facet of life in our society, increase in agricultural and manufacturing output, a reduction in the reliance on imports and increase in the production of consumer goods and food availability.
By: Austin Ofori Addo/ritefmonline.org/austinofori.addo@gmail.com
