The district chief executive for Berekum West, Isaac Osei has urged the youth to take advantage of vegetable farming especially tomatoes to better their lives
Addressing a farmers' durbar at Fetentaa organised by the Vegetable Growers Association in the district, he encouraged the farmers and the youth to step up their farming activities from subsistence to the business level in order to earn more from their sweat.
In a response to an appeal, the DCE assured them of the assembly's readiness to help them establish a tomato market centre to create a ready market for them and also to aid the assembly in its revenue mobilisation.
To drive home his commitment to support the farmers, he announced that the grading of farm roads in the area is to start, to ensure easy access to their farms and again make it easier to transport their produce to avoid them being locked up on the farms to rot, a situation he described as unfair to the hardworking farmers.
Kwame Bamfo Kesse, chairman for the association, said the durbar is a means to interact with farmers and stakeholders on how to address various challenges facing them.
He cited low financial support, unavailability of ready markets for their products and the difficulty in acquiring land for farming as some of the major challenges facing vegetable, especially tomato farmers in the area.
Adehye Panin of Fetentaa, Nana Effah Amankwaa appealed to the government to establish a market centre for their produce. The council of Fetentaa has released two-acres for the market and appealed to the Assembly to support them clear and develop the area.
Nana Effah Amankwaa noted that the construction of the market would go a long way to support the farmers to pay off their loans.
“With a ready market we can determine prices of our produce and this would make the business lucrative,” he stated.
