District Assemblies in UER to help farmers through the lean season

Nyariga, (UE/R) Oct. 4, GNA - Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper East Region are to buy surplus food from local farmers to store so that it would be sold back to them at moderate prices during the lean season. Mr. Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister, said this at Nyariga near Bolgatanga where he commissioned a community Craft Centre at the weekend.

He said the region was expecting a good harvest and in order to forestall the temptation to sell cheaply to market women or even smuggle out the extra food, the Assemblies would offer good prices and store the food so that the people could buy it back when they need it, from the months of March to June 2010 when the barns go empty. The Minister said despite floods in some parts of the Region, most of the crops had done well and that signs lead to higher yields in sorghum, millet and rice this year. He advised the farmers against smuggling food stuffs to neighbouring Togo and Burkina Faso, saying that the region had to store its food so that it would be consumed later. Mr. Woyongo announced that various mills would be installed in Tamale, Bolgatanga and Wa to process shea butter, groundnut oil and soya bean oil, as the three regions could easily meet the raw material demands of the industry. He reiterated that government was determined to improve Agricultural production and that farmers would be assisted in many ways to expand production. He assured farmers in the region that there was a ready and good market for tomatoes since the nearby tomato processing factory would be able to buy all that they could offer.

The craft centre was built by the community with support from two companies in the United States of America; 'The Blessing Basket' and 'Whole Foods Market' whose support came from the proceeds of baskets produced by the local people.

Ms. Theresa Wilson, Founder and Executive Director of the Blessing Basket, said five years ago she was impressed by the hard working basket weavers of Nyariga who unfortunately did not have access to reliable markets for their products and therefore decided to buy the baskets at a higher price than the prevailing market price. She then exported them to the USA and for the 'Whole Foods Market' to retail the baskets, giving back the profits to the community to undertake development projects that would meet their peculiar needs. From such proceeds, the community built a school block, drilled a bore-hole, and put up a women's craft centre and the community centre that was commissioned.

It also improved the living standards of the people as the entire community was engaged in weaving of baskets and leather work. Reverend Dr. Jacob Ayeebo, Member of Council of State, who chaired the function, asked the community to take the craft work seriously and not expect that its sustainability would depend on the two American Companies. He urged them to send their children to school and not engage them in basket weaving as long hours of work would make them too tired to concentrate in class.