Tuobodom (B/A), April 27, GNA- The government in collaboration with the Italian government will soon install a tomato processing plant in Techiman, Mr. John Manu, Techiman Municipal Director of Agriculture has said.

Speaking at a days' forum attended by over 150 tomato farmers at Tuobodom, Mr Manu asked the farmers to work hard to expand their farms to be able to meet the demands of the plant. He said all the equipment for the processing factory had arrived in the country and advised the farmers to adhere to modern agricultural practices to boost production.

The forum was organized by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and was aimed at introducing the farmers to agro-chemical application and modern methods of vegetable farming.

Mr. Manu said records showed that farmers in Brong Ahafo were at the forefront of adhering to sound agricultural practices and debunked a recent media report that there was no extension officer of the Ministry stationed at Tuobodom.

"You would all attest that there are two extension officers in Tuobodom zone", he said, warning that agricultural officers would soon be empowered to arrest agro-chemical sellers who sell unauthorized chemicals to farmers.

Mr. Samuel S. Ayobi, Techiman Municipal Director in charge of Crops of the Ministry advised the farmers to cultivate good varieties of tomatoes such as Mangel, Xina and Titao, which he said "are resistant to diseases and can yield 30 metric tons per acre". He urged the farmers to promptly report the presence of pests and diseases to agricultural officers for advice and not to attribute it to witchcraft.

In a related development, tomato farmers at Tuobodom have pegged a new hired labour rate, popularly known as "by-day", at 25,000 cedis instead of 30,000 cedis.

Mr. Baffour Afrifa, chairman of the Tuobodom Tomato Growers Association said the reduction in the rate was aimed at bringing sanity into the labour market in the tomato growing areas. He said anyone who infringed the new rate would be made to pay a fine of 200,000 cedis and asked the farmers to adhere to the new rate. 278 April 07