Kpando District leads in sunflower production

Kpando, Feb. 6, GNA-Kpando District is the leading producer of sunflower in the country having sold 9,262 kilograms of the product to the accredited buyer last year.

Mr Issah Sulomana, Chief Executive Officer of Tragrimacs Sun-Flower Ghana Limited, made the declaration at a ceremony at Kpando where he presented a cheque for purchases made over a certain period to farmers. The company, apart from buying the produce sells seedlings, fungicide and insecticides to farmers.

Production of sunflower in the Kpando District is being done mainly under the aegis of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP). Mr Pious Adanuti, Kpando District Chief Executive (DCE) expressing gratitude, said the ready market for sunflower would encourage other youth to go into its cultivation.

He asked for the establishment of a plant at Kpando to process the product into oil and bio-diesel.

Mr Adanuti said the district had targeted to put about 5,000 hectares under sunflower cultivation, urging people who went into its production earlier in 1995 but stopped as a result of poor returns to try it again.

Mr Kofi Elikem Ahodor, Kpando District Co-coordinator of NYEP commended the company for promptly meeting its obligations to purchase the products.

He said the purchases made were only a third of what separate groups in the district had cultivated. Mr Ahodor said Sun-Bio System Incorporated; a Bio-Diesel manufacturing firm based in Carson City Nevada USA was exploring the possibility of increasing production of the product in the district.