The government has distributed 113,000 cashew seedlings to 343 farmers in the Dormaa Central Municipality under the Tree Crop Module of the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) Programme.

Mr. Drissa Ouattara, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) stated in an address at the first ordinary meeting of the Dormaa Central Municipal Assembly at Dormaa-Ahenkro in the Bono Region.

Assembly Members (AMs), chiefs, staff of the Assembly, heads of departments and representatives of trade associations attended the meeting.

Mr. Ouatarra said since the past three years, the Assembly had provided funds for the supply of improved cashew seedlings for free distribution to promote cultivation by rural farmers for sustainable income and development of rural communities.

He said a target of 150,000 cashew seedlings and 100,000 coffee seedlings would be distributed to farmers this year, stressing "More than 1,654 farmers have planted more than 1,765 hectares of cashew seedlings supplied under the PERD".

"The Municipality is recording massive increase in cashew investment with individual farmers and private sector companies aggressively adopting the initiative”, the MCE stated.

The Municipal Directorate of Agriculture has been providing extension services to the cashew farmers in the areas of lining and pegging in farms, pruning, pest and disease identification and control and training on management of cashew plantation to promote sustainability of the programme, Mr Ouatarra added.

He announced the Dormaa-Ahenkro zone of the poultry industry was piloting a poultry value chain project, which involved the piloting of a "a layer value chain in the Dormaa East District, whilst Dormaa Municipal is earmarked for the broiler value chain to supply day old chicks".

The MCE said on June 1 this year, there was a reported case of rabies outbreak in the Agapet Community in the Municipality and the Assembly in an effort to stem the spread of it supported the Veterinary Services Department (VSD) with GhC2,500.00 to procure anti-rabies vaccine to vaccinate dogs and cats in the affected communities and 104 dogs and 16 cats were vaccinated.
Mr. Ouattara admonished them to educate residents in their electoral areas to patronise the services of the VSD to maintain their pets for public safety.

On development projects, Mr. Ouattara said the Assembly was carrying a number of them which ranged from the construction of school blocks, U-drains, sanitation facilities and reshaping of selected roads in the Municipality.