Housing scheme for cocoa farmers

Takoradi, Sept 10, GNA - The government is to introduce a housing scheme for cocoa farmers in the country and the project would soon be launched in the Western Region.

Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, Western Regional Minister, said this at a ceremony at which 400 cocoa purchasing clerks of OLAM Ghana Limited, a licensed cocoa buying company, were presented with awards for their outstanding services to the company.

He said under the scheme decent houses with well-planned layout and landscaping are going to be built in the villages for cocoa farmers. Mr Aidoo said the beneficiary farmers would pay for the cost of the building by annual instalments.

He said the project has an initial investment outlay of 75 billion cedis and 3,000 direct workforce, which is likely to turnout 1,000 housing units a year.

Mr Aidoo said the pilot project would start in five districts of the Western Region and that the project is meant to boost the morale of cocoa farmers to improve their productivity.

Part of the initial money, he said, would be generated through grants and donations and expressed the hope that all the key players in the cocoa industry would support the project.

Mr Aidoo said now that cocoa farmers seem to have turned the industry round and the price of cocoa was rising on the international market everything possible would be done to increase their output so that they could take maximum advantage of the new producer price. The Minister commended security personnel at the borders for their sacrifices and hard work in ensuring that the country's premium cocoa beans did not leave the borders just as poor cocoa beans did not enter the country.

He also congratulated the award winners for their hard work and setting the pace for other employees to follow.

Mr Aidoo expressed the hope that the awards would motivate them to work harder and to continue to win the admiration of their employers. Mr George Asher of Goaso Cocoa District was adjudged the best worker and was presented with a cash prize of 26 million cedis.

Other award winners were presented with items ranging from refrigerators, electric generators, corn mill machines, motorbikes, bicycles, spraying machines and sound systems, all worth about 600 million cedis.

Mr Aidoo said now that cocoa farmers seem to have turned the industry round and the price of cocoa was rising on the international market everything possible would be done to increase their output so that they could take maximum advantage of the new producer price.

The Minister commended security personnel at the borders for their sacrifices and hard work in ensuring that the country's premium cocoa beans did not leave the borders just as poor cocoa beans did not enter the country.

He also congratulated the award winners for their hard work and setting the pace for other employees to follow.

Mr Aidoo expressed the hope that the awards would motivate them to work harder and to continue to win the admiration of their employers. Mr George Asher of Goaso Cocoa District was adjudged the best worker and was presented with a cash prize of 26 million cedis.

Other award winners were presented with items ranging from refrigerators, electric generators, corn mill machines, motorbikes, bicycles, spraying machines and sound systems, all worth about 600 million cedis.