Nkawkubew (ER), Sept. 20, GNA - The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Yaw Barimah on Wednesday cut the sword for the commencement of work on a multi-million farm project at Nkawkubew, being undertaken by the Asuogyaman District Assembly, as part of the measures to help reduce poverty in the district.
More than 250 million cedis has been sunk into the project, sited on 480 acres with a possible increase to 800 acres to produce Soya beans and other vegetables for local consumption and export. Mr Barimah gave the project a major boost, when he announced that, the Thai company producing Vita Milk confectionaries, had decided to establish a plant in Ghana, and the Nkawkubew farm would become one of that factory's raw material base.
In this regard, he tasked the assembly to consider instituting an irrigation scheme to harvest water from the Volta Lake, which lies within three miles from the project site to assure an all-year farming to sustain the project and ensure regular supply to patrons. Such was the applause that greeted the Regional Minister's disclosure and the Queen of the town, Nana Tutuwa Manko, asked her people to be emboldened by the Minister's revelation and resolve to make the project a success story that would underpin their evolution from poverty to prosperity.
Corroborating Nana Manko's observations, Mr Barimah, roused the people to whole heartedly support well-meaning projects meant to elevate their lives such as the National Health Insurance Scheme. He noted that interventions that were being introduced by the central government could not succeed without the support and co-operation of the people, no matter how well-intentioned these programmes were.
But he as well appealed to the people to be wary of self-seeking individuals, who were seeking to discredit worthy programmes being perused by the government with all manner of labels and false assertions.
The District Chief Executive, Mr Emmanuel Ntow Bediako, said the assembly would supply inputs to interested farmers and after maturity, would disposed one third of the produce to same with the remainder going to the assembly.
The project, he said, had been designed to help generate resources for the assembly as well as generate jobs to help reduce poverty levels in the district.
He said 75 people had already been engaged on the farm, which was to be increased to 120.
Mr Barimah later toured the local Presbyterian Primary School to interact with pupils enrolling at the school for the first time.
