5million free seedlings for coffee farmers – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has promised his government will provide free seedlings to farmers interested in coffee production if he is retained as president in the 2016 elections.

Presenting highlights of the NDC’s 2016 manifesto on Tuesday September 13 in Accra, Mr Mahama said: “Farmers who want to go into coffee production, we are going to give them free coffee seedlings and so five million improved coffee seedlings are being nursed to be supplied to farmers and this we expect should increase Ghana’s coffee production from the current 6000 metric tonnes to about 100,000 metric tonnes.”

He added that the government of the National Democratic Congress had increased aquaculture production to almost 50,000 metric tonnes from 19,000 metric tonnes.

Mr Mahama further disclosed that his government was providing cold stores to fisherfolk in landing sites across the country.

“We are supporting farmers with the construction of landing sites. We are providing them with cold stores. With the cold stores, when they come with their catch and they are not able to sell, then they put them in the cold stores, so that the fish doesn’t go bad and then the next morning they come and take the fish and then they send it to the market and, so, we are providing all the landing sites with cold stores so that they are able to preserve their fish,” he disclosed.

Government has over the yeas reiterated its commitment towards supporting the fishing industry with the construction of cold stores in fishing areas.