Government to support provision of plant for soap industry

Twifo Praso (C/R), May 26, GNA - The Government is to assist the Twifo-Hemang-Lower-Denkyira District Assembly to set up a plant to process cocoa husks and palm kernel for the soap industry.

The District Chief Executive, Mr Abraham Odoom announced this on Tuesday when he opened a three-day workshop on 'Decentralised Planning for Agriculture' for 100 stakeholders in agriculture, including farmers, chiefs and Heads of Government Departments at Twifo Praso.

Mr Odoom said among the Government's five priority areas considered as focal points for economic growth, was the modernisation of agriculture based on rural development.

He said since agriculture was the mainstay of the people in the District, employing about 51 per cent of the people, their material well-being and standard of living, depended heavily on the District's fortune in agriculture.

"This requires that careful decisions are taken about the general directions in which we want transformation", he stressed, adding that this could be brought about, not just through planning, but participatory planning involving the grassroots.

He expressed the hope that the workshop would set the pace for the needed diversification in crop production in the District to enable farmers not only to get varieties to choose from, but also to break their dependence on a lone crop.

Mr Odoom urged the participants to take the workshop seriously and to actively get involved in the discussion and share ideas in order to come out with the requisite recommendation that would prompt policy implementers to swing into action.

Mr William Wiafe, Deputy Regional Director of Agriculture, said the document that would finally emerge from the workshop, would guide public expenditure and ensure appropriate release of funds to implement development activities.