Refinery Plants For Salt Producing Areas

The Government is to establish refinery plants in salt producing areas to improve the quality of the merchandise to meet world standard.

Mr Kwamena Esssilfie Adjaye, an Advisor to the President who dropped the hint at a meeting with Gomoa District Salt Producers at Apam said the refinery formed part of measures being taken to boost the President's Special Initiative (PSI) on salt.

Mr Adjaye said it would also enhance marketing of the product.

The meeting was organised by the Gomoa District Assembly to discuss problems affecting salt winning in the district.

The problems included land acquisition and accessing credit facilities.

Mr Adjaye urged small-scale entrepreneurs to form associations to enable them access credit facilities being offered by the government.

He cited the Elmina Salt Producers Association, which was granted a loan of 3.2 billion cedis from the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Fund as an example of what organised associations could achieve for their members.

Mr Foster Forson, Executive Director of the Central Region Development Commission (CEDECOM), said the Commission in collaboration with the Central Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC), had decided to establish a land bank to facilitate the acquisition of land by investors.

He advised landowners to direct anyone who wanted to acquire land above 500 acres to either the district assemblies or CEDECOM for acceptable agreements to be made on their behalf.

Mr Forson said this had become necessary because of some poor agreements made by some chiefs with investors.

Mr Yaw Aboagye- Kyei, Central Regional Surveyor exhorted Ghanaians to desist from engaging quacks to survey lands.

He advised that the background of surveyors should be checked to find out whether they were government surveyors or licensed surveyors, the two categories permitted to carry out surveys.

Mr Aboagye Kyei urged Ghanaians to ensure that plans prepared on their lands were signed by licensed surveyors and approved by regional surveyors.

Mr Yaw Adu Asamoah the District Coordinating Director called on the people of the district to embrace the President's Special Initiative on Salt and cassava starch to enable them come out of poverty.