Media should highlight activities in rural areas - Quashigah

Major Courage Quashigah (Rtd), Minister for Food and Agriculture, has urged the Media to throw more light on activities within rural areas.

"If you do not show the beauty of our rural areas, nobody would know what is going on there," he said. Major Quashigah said this when he received a 32-page Project Document on a self-initiative poverty alleviation-farming project by Ahamansu, a town within the Kadjebi District of the Volta Region.

He noted that in developing the country, rural areas had to be given prior attention to stem the tide of rural-urban drift. Throwing more light on the importance of rural areas, the Minister said the Ministry of Food and Agriculture was embarking on a programme to ensure food security, facilitate production of raw materials for industries and prepare agricultural products for export.

"These can only be properly implemented in the rural areas," he said, adding that the NPP government would now ensure that development starts from the rural areas. He urged the people of the town to use monies they received for the project according to priorities instead of waiting for the bulk of the amount needed since that was not always possible.

Major Quashigah said there was the need for the people to work in peace and unity since conflict was a major setback to progress, and pledged the assistance of his Ministry for the project.

Nana Okrah Ayew II, Gyasehene of Ahamansu who presented the document, said the project aimed at providing employment to prevent the youth of the town from travelling to the urban areas in search of jobs.

He said it would produce well-packaged homegrown meat at affordable prices, adding that, apart from meat, dairy products such as milk could also be marketed from the farm. Named the Royal Ram and Billy Enterprise, the project, which would entail goat and sheep rearing, is expected to cost about 960 million cedis upon completion.