Dairy plant for North-Tongu District

Adidome, May 24, GNA - Cattle farmers in 11 districts in the Volta, Greater-Accra and the Eastern regions are to receive a major economic boost following the establishment of a diary products processing plant at Sokpekope, near Juapong in the North-Tongu District.

The plant would be fed with fresh milk from farms in the cattle rearing areas in districts in and around the location of the plant. Mr Moses Asem, North-Tongu District Chief Executive (DCE) said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the weekend. He listed the districts as North-Tongu, which he said was currently with the highest concentration of cattle in the country, according to a 2005 survey by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA). Mr Asem mentioned 10 other out-grower beneficiary districts as South-Tongu, Akatsi, Ho, Adaklu-Anyigbe, South and North Dayi all in the Volta Region, Manya-Krobo and Esuogyaman in the Eastern Region and Dangbe East and West in the Greater-Accra Region.

He said similar multi-million cedi plants, fitted with the state-of-the-art equipment had been put up at Amrahia, near Oyibi in Greater Accra and two others in the northern sector.

The DCE said the plant had a mill that could turn out tonnes of cheese daily, low fat or skimmed milk of minimal or no cholesterol. He said the plant, which also had a yoghurt processing plant would also process milk for the production of butter.

"Fresh milk collection sites to which farmers and other individuals would send their collections for the plant would be established at vantage locations in the districts concerned," Mr Asem said. He said the collection point at Mafi-Adidome for example would serve, Mafi-Bakpa, traditional area, Juapong, Battor and Adaklu and its satellite areas.

Mr Asem said individuals could also establish mobile collection companies to do farm to farm collection of milk, adding that the project would be a plus for rural employment and income generation under the revised blue-print on government poverty reduction strategy. Mr Asem said government was to introduce high yielding cattle into the country to boost the project to improve on milk production and intake among the people.