The Atebubu-Amantin Business Advisory Centre (BAC) in collaboration with the Municipal Assembly has organised a day’s consultative forum on the ‘1 district one factory’ and ‘planting for food and jobs’ initiatives.
According to the Municipal Head of the BAC, Mr Isaac Oppong, the forum funded by the Rural Enterprises Programme was aimed at educating participants on the opportunities offered under the 2 Government initiatives and how persons within the municipality could take advantage of them.
He said the 2 programmes come with a lot of job opportunities; enhancement of incomes for farmers and other players in the agriculture value chain, as well as a huge potential to earn the country the much needed foreign exchange. He explained that the doors of the Rural Enterprises Programme and National Board for Small Scale Industries are opened to any entrepreneur who needs support to take advantage of the two flagship initiative of the Government.
The Municipal Director of the Department of Agriculture, Mr George Amanyo, took the meeting through what had been done in the municipality since the inception of the ‘planting for food and jobs’ initiative and the impact it had had on beneficiaries and asked participants to fully embrace it.
The Chief Executive Officer of Amantin Agro Processing Company Ltd AAPCL, Mr. Williams Kwaku Boateng, said his outfit, which is one of the factories designated under 1D1F, is engaging about 1800 out-grower farmers to produce cassava to augment produce from the factory’s own 8,000-hectare farm. He mentioned that the out-growers to be recruited will be supported with inputs and ploughing services, and explained that the farmers will pay for this support only after the harvesting season.
Manager of the Atebubu branch of the Agricultural Development Bank, Mr Clement Sakyi, described the creditworthiness of farmers in the municipality as poor and urged them not to abuse the opportunity offered by AAPCL.
The factory, which will focus on the production of ethanol and starch, has the capacity to process 1200 tons of cassava daily and will employ about 12,000 people, both directly and indirectly when it begins operation.
Participants were drawn from farmers groups, assembly members, the department of agriculture and financial institutions. Also present was the Municipal Chief farmer, Amadu Kwasi Addo, and the 2017 National Best livestock farmer, Yusif Bunbas.
Credit: Daniel Oduro-Stewart/Ghanadistricts.com
