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Sekyere East prioritizes agriculture to boost economy and development

By
Gideon D. Ebbah, GNA                        

Effiduase (Ash), Nov
09, GNA – Madam Mary Boatemaa Marfo, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the
Sekyere East District in Ashanti, has reaffirmed the District Assembly’s
commitment in pursuing programmes geared at boosting and sustaining the
agrarian economy in the area, for social development.

She said more than
90 percent of households in the District, were engaged in crop farming,
contributing substantially to the Assembly’s Internally-Generated Funds (IGF),
which has necessitated the local government’s commitment and investment of
resources to the sector.

“The move would help
to guarantee economic growth, poverty alleviation, food security, rural
development and the eventual attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs)”, she added.

 Madam Marfo was speaking at the “Meet the
Press” event held by the District Assembly at Effiduase, the capital of the
District.

The “Meet the Press”
event is an initiative of the government across the country that creates a
forum for the DCE and other local government actors, to meet with key
stakeholders to debrief and answer pertinent questions on projects and
programmes embarked on by the Assembly and how government flagship programmes
and policies, have been rolled out.

The DCE said the
Assembly was on “a right course in the right direction” since investments in
the sector were also going to yield increased appreciable results and
sustainable productivity to boost the returns and livelihoods of farmers other
businesses in the agricultural value chain in the area

Throwing more light
on how the Planting for Food and Jobs was thriving in the District, Madam Marfo
said, 1,643 farmers comprising of 1,431 males and 212 females were benefiting
from the programme.

She said 30,000
cocoa seedlings had also been distributed to 64 male and 13 female farmers, as
part of the Assembly’s commitment to the Planting for Exports and Rural
Development (PERD) programme.

“Additionally, 3,001
litres of agrochemicals have been distributed by the Assembly to 2,514 and
1,176 male and female farmers respectively this year, to aid the Fall Army Worm
control – a major threat to the agrarian economy”, Madam Marfo added.

She said fertilizers
such as the Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium (NPK), Urea and others as well as
seed maize and seed rice were part of the inputs distributed to the farmers at
a subsidized price under the PFJ.

The DCE enumerated
some of the educational development projects embarked on the Assembly in the
last three years since she assumed office as; the construction of a 3-unit
classroom block with office, store room, staff common room and ICT laboratory
in a number of the communities.

The communities
were; Seniagya, Odurokrom, Mahinso, Motokrodua, Apemso and Okaikrom
communities.

On health, she cited
the completion and furnishing of the Community-Based Health Planning and
Services (CHPS) compound at the Motokrodua, Ntunkumso and Ahinsan communities,
under her watch.

Nana Owusu Asare I,
Chief Linguist of the Asokore Traditional Area commended the Assembly and the government
for the commitment to the well-being of the people.

GNA

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