Osaburam, (E/R) Sept. 18, GNA - The Asuogyaman District Assembly has started processing large quantities of maize, harvested from its 115 acres of maize farm, planted during the major raining season, under the Youth in Agriculture Programme.

However, the Eastern Region has no mechanized facilities for the drying of maize apart from those at the Afram Plains, which is far away from the District.

Consequently, the youth engaged in the project rely on sun drying, which is becoming unreliable because of the minor season rains. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency at Osabura, a farming community in the District, Mr Johnson Ahiakpor, the District Chief Executive, said the Assembly had rehabilitated a storage facility at an abandoned farm project in the community to store the maize.

He said the assembly was also considering the rehabilitation of another storage facility at another abandoned farm project at Mpakadan for an additional storage facility when the assembly expands the acreage under cultivation in next major farming season. Mr Ahiakpor said the project was providing employment for 50, adding that, more young farmers would be engaged as the project expands. Mr Ahiakpor said the produce would be sold to caterers engaged in the School Feeding Programme and the second cycle schools in the district. The DCE said earlier, two acres of okro and two acres of garden eggs, which were planted on experimental basis, were harvested and sold on the local market. He said currently the youth in addition to the processing of the maize were also engaged in the planting of 25 acres of cowpea for the lean season at Osabura.