Poverty alleviation loan beneficiaries owe 200 billion cedis

Forifori (E/R) Sept. 28,GNA - Beneficiaries of loans granted under the Poverty Alleviation Fund through the Afram Plains District Assembly since its inception seven years ago owe more than 200 billion cedis. As a result of the huge indebtedness, the Assembly has decided not to disburse the loan to individuals again but rather would use it to purchase tractors and its accessories, gari-processing machines and outboard motors for distribution to all the nine-area councils in the District.

The machinery would be put into plant pools and hired out to farmers, fishermen and food processors at subsidised rates. The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Solomon Yaw Fordjour announced this at a durbar the chiefs and people at Forifori organised for him during his familiarisation tour to some communities in the District.

He said 650 kilometres of feeder roads would be constructed with funds from the Millennium Challenge Account to open up the area for foreign and local investors to undertake large-scale mechanised farming and appealed to the chiefs to release lands to the prospective investors.

On the destruction of farm crops and produce by Fulani herdsmen and their cattle, the DCE said the security agencies would soon flush them out of the District.

He advised parents to take advantage of the capitation grant and send their children to school.

The Chief of Aframso, Nana Asare Bafour III said though the District produced a substantial portion of the nation's food requirement, the area had been neglected by previous governments in terms of provision of roads, markets, schools, potable water and financial assistance and appealed to the Government to provide those amenities to enhance the living standard of the people. The tour took the DCE to Fosu, Kwame Dwamena, Maame Krobo, Ekye-Amanfrom, Tease, Odumasua, Odumasi and Agya Attakrom.