Government to cultivate one thousand hectares of land for rice production

Wa, June 4, GNA - Government is to cultivate 1,000 hectares of land for interested rice farmers in the Fumbisi Valleys this year to boost production.

Government is also to bring in 1,000 tractors and set up mechanization centres in the regions for farmers to have access to tractor services at the appropriate time.

Mr. Clement Eledi, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, said this at the Upper West Regional People's Assembly in Wa on Tuesday. Mr. Eledi said government would subsidise fertilizers to make them affordable to farmers this year and urged farmers in the region to adopt the cultivation of "Kapaala" a high yielding variety of millet for use by beer brewing companies.

He urged the youth to establish mango plantations to feed the fruits factory in Wa and also for export. Mr Godfred Bayon Tangu, Minister of State at the Ministry of Transportation, said about 265 kilometres of roads in the region would be tarred this year.

These include the Wa/Han/Tumu road, Tumu/Chichuliga road and Nadowli/Lawra/Hamile road.

He said the huge development package the region had received had been its first experience and acknowledged that the NPP administration had lived up to expectation.

Mr. Tangu asked people in the region to reciprocate the huge development government had given them by voting massively for the New Patriotic Party in the December election.

Mr. Ambrose Dery, Minister of State Ministry of Justice, said government was equipping the security agencies to fight crime and other social vices to make the country safe for the people to go about their businesses without hindrance or fear.

On drugs, he said cocaine was a problem for the whole world and attributed its emergence in the country to the break down of barriers because of the ECOWAS agreement.