Calls for Early Activation of Aveyime Rice Project

DRAMA UNFOLDED at Battor in the North Tongu District last Wednesday when a press conference organized by a group, calling itself 'Concerned Citizens of the Aveyime Rice Project Association', to brief the press about current developments on the project took a different turn.

The programme, which was meant for the media was taken over by the Chiefs, people and representatives of land owners from the area without giving the opportunity to the press, some of whom came from Ho, Accra and Tema.

The main purpose of the supposed press conference was to champion the cause of a Ghanaian Entrepreneur, who has shown interest in taking up the management of the Aveyime rice project, which has been at a standstill for years.

Sources close to The Chronicle revealed that two major companies are being scrutinized for the offer of taking up the responsibility of management of the Aveyime Rice Project. The companies are a Ghanaian company, Integrated Rice Company Limited and Texas Prairie Rice Company from the US.

Addressing the gathering, a Divisional Chief of Battor, Togbe Kumi IV said the people have suffered a lot after the closure of the rice factory and this has contributed to the increased migration of the youth to urban areas in search of non-existing jobs.

He attributed the sad event to the non-commitment of foreign companies who failed to appreciate the traditional set up of the people and their needs coupled with mismanagement of the project.

In view of this, Togbe Kumi advocated for a Ghanaian Company, which would understand the people and direct its activities to the benefit of the people, noting that Integrated Rice Company Limited was the right company capable of handling the project.

The President of Integrated Rice Company Limited, Dr. Amarnaih Kissie who was invited to the function, told The Chronicle in an interview about the viability of the Aveyime Rice Project to the local people and Ghanaians in general.

He said even though he was a full time medical practitioner, he has the capability of marshalling expertise which he has already assembled. He said they have completed work on how to revamp the Aveyime rice project to improve the living conditions of the people.

Dr. Kissie noted with regret that the people and the government have been deprived of using the 20 acres of land available for the project for the past 30 years and without compensation to the landowners.

According to Dr. Kissie, certain outside groups have been given access to the land with no production. He said his company had assembled a team that could use the land to fulfill the aims and the objectives of the government to produce quality rice for Ghana at a competitive price.

He said because the community does not have access to the land, they could not plan to make it economically viable adding that when given the opportunity to manage the project, it would help create jobs for the youth and improve the economy as the State would earn more taxes from the project.

Dr. Kissie noted that the current economic situation would have been far better than it is if the Aveyime Rice project had been activated saying most of the youth would be employed on the farm to take care of their own affairs.

He said rice production was an issue of national security, as the importation of rice would reduce, stressing that the Aveyime rice project when in full operation would prevent the importation of rice by 10 percent.

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Contributing, the Assembly Member for Battor Electoral Area, Mr. Edward Dzoboku said the youth of the area were waiting to see the day that the Aveyime Rice project would take off and noted that the non-functioning of the project was a disservice to the people.

The Assembly Member however questioned the purpose of the meeting and observed, that if " it is a press conference, it should have been attended by only media practitioners and not Chiefs who are here to propagate the interest of one of the companies slated to take up the job".

Mr. Dzoboku noted that the organization of the programme created doubts in the minds of the people and cast a slur on the credibility of the programme and asked organizers to be diligent next time when organizing programmes of that nature.