950 tonnes of cereal locked up for lack of market?

Tono (Upper East), 6th May ?99,

About 250 tonnes of soyabean and 700 tonnes of rice valued at more than 620 million cedis have been locked up in silos of the Irrigation Company of the Upper Regions (ICOUR) Limited because the company has no market for them, Mr Issah Bukari, Managing Director of ICOUR has said.

He said ICOUR's main customer for soyabean, Bossbel, a Tamale-based agro-processor, as well as public institutions that normally buy the rice are finding it difficult to raise money for their purchase.

Mr Bukari disclosed this at Tono, near Navrongo when briefing Ministers and regional ministers who were on a tour of the Tono Irrigation Project to acquaint themselves with its operations.

The Ministers including Mr Kwamena Ahwoi, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, his deputy Mrs Cecilia Johnson, and Dr Christine Amoako-Nuamah, Minister of Lands and Forestry visited the ICOUR offices and the Tono reservoir.

Mr Bukari told them that his company finds it difficult to sell in the open market because of high cost of production resulting from high bank borrowing rates as well as high cost of inputs.

He said the influx of imported rice on the market also threatens local production on commercial basis.

ICOUR supports more than 6000 small-scale farmers at its Tono and Vea projects with tractor services, inputs and training in improved crop production methods.

Mr Bukari asked the government to recapitalise the company, saying in this way ICOUR will help improve food security within "the Upper East Region and assist farmers to increase their incomes."