Pineapple farmers advise to join processing company

Ekumfi-Essueshyia (C/R), June 28, GNA - The acting President of the Ekumfi Traditional Council, Nana Baah X, on Saturday called on pineapple farmers in the area who have not registered with the recently formed pineapple processing company in the area to register with it.

Addressing members of the Central Pineapple Processing Company at Ekumfi-Essueshyia, Nana Baah praised the initiators of the company and advised them to intensify their activities to bring employment opportunities to the thousands of jobless youth in the area.

He assured members of the company of the traditional councils' full backing, saying that, members of the council were happy at the efforts the infant food-processing firm was making to promote industrial development in the Ekumfi area.

Nana Baah also commended one of the industrious Ekumfi citizens in Accra, Mr. Nathaniel Azsroo Welbeck, the executive chairman of an Accra based NATAN groups of companies for accepting in principle to team up with the local farmers to ensure that the Central Pineapple Processing Company takes off before the end the year at Ekumfi-Essueshyia. The acting president charged parents in the area to encourage their jobless junior and senior secondary school leavers to embark on large-scale pineapple farming ventures to feed the factory.

He also called on the government and the Nfantsiman District Assembly to set aside part of the assembly's Common Fund to support young farmers who would accept the challenge to go into pineapple production.

On his part, Nana Obrenu IV, the chief adviser of the Central Pineapple Processing Company called on custodians of land in the traditional area to release more farmland to prospective pineapple growers to boost the production of the raw materials for the company.

According to Nana Obrenu, the company has plans to establish its own pineapple farm to supplement that of the individual members and other producers to ensure that the company does not face shortage of raw materials when it go into full production of pineapple juice.