MP Urges Farmers To Diversify Production

Atteitu (C/R), Dec. 10, GNA - The Member of Parliament for Awutu/Senya, Mr. K. Oppey Abbey, has advised food crop farmers in the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District to branch to vegetable, onion, tomatoes and garden-egg cultivation in addition to yam, cassava and plantain. Mr. Oppey Abbey said that was only way food producers could come out of their seemingly insolvable economic crisis and make a meaningful headway in life.

The MP was addressing about 200 food crop farmers at Atteitu on matters that hinders their ability to repay their loans granted them by the Government and the various banking institutions in the area. Mr. Opppey Abbey explained that, while it takes yam and cassava between seven and twelve months to mature for harvesting, onions, tomatoes, garden-eggs, pepper, and other fast-growing vegetables take the highest, four months to mature. Besides, almost all types of vegetables are in high demand in both local and foreign markets and provide appreciable economic returns for the producer.

Farmers, the MP further counselled, stood the chance of deriving immense economic benefits from the production of such crops if they diversify their activities to cover vegetables. This would help them redeem any financial assistance they might source from either the Government through the various MICRO Credit interventions, or from the rural and other banks in good time to maintain their creditworthiness all the time. Mr. Oppey Abbey praised farmers in the district for their hard work and assured them that the Government would continue to introduce more avenues for them to source financial support to promote their work. He, however, warned them against the persistent refusal of some farmer-beneficiaries of MICRO Credit assistance to pay back such loans, stressing that monies given them as loans were not gifts.