Farmers to get poverty fund through associations-DCE

Begoro (E/R), Feb. 8, GNA - The Fanteakwa District Assembly has decided to channel the Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) to farmers through their co-operative associations, for cassava production to feed the Ayensu Starch Factory, under the Presidential Special Initiatives. It has, therefore, placed an embargo on the disbursement of the Fund until the outstanding debts were retrieved from indebted beneficiaries.

The Fanteakwa District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Ebenezer Ofoe Caesar, announced these at the First Ordinary Meeting of the Assembly at Begoro on Friday, He said individual cassava farmers would no longer benefit from the PAF since it was becoming very difficult to retrieve the existing loans from beneficiaries for re-cycling.

The DCE said the assembly would henceforth disburse the PAF in kind rather than cash since repayment of loans had always been a problem.

Mr Ceasar hinted that the assembly had contributed 100 million cedis towards the establishment of the Factory. He appealed to assembly members to organise Peoples Assemblies at their respective electoral areas to explain government policies to the people.

The DCE expressed regret that despite his request to the members to organise the programme at the grassroots last year, only three electoral out of the 36 electoral areas in the district responded to the call.