Ejura (Ash), Dec 6, GNA - A total of about 1,125 acres of land is to be put under cultivation in the Ejura-Sekyedumase district of Ashanti under the Inland Valley Rice Project of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA).

The project, which is a new rice innovation, is designed to increase rice production from its present yield of 10 bags per acre to about 40 bags per acre.

Dr. Joshua Ayarkwa, the Ejura-Sekyedumase District Chief Executive, who announced this, said the project was started in the district at Aframso last year and that about 71 million cedis was disbursed to farmers.

He was addressing a farmers' forum organized by the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) who are funding the project as part of its 40th anniversary celebration at Ejura on Monday.

Dr. Ayarkwa said since each farmer will get an acre after the land preparation, 1,125 farmers will therefore benefit from the project and urged the farmers to cultivate the habit of doing business with the bank.

He also advised the farmers to adhere to the technical advice of agricultural extension agents and manage their farms in a businesslike manner to enable them to maximize yields as well as profits. Mr Adam Sulley, Head of Corporate and Customer Relations Department of ADB, said the bank has budgeted three trillion cedis in its two years lending programme for farmers.

He said farmers in the district will therefore benefit from the amount, adding that the bank will support the cultivation of a total of 29,536 acres of maize and soya beans within the two-year period. Mrs Lydia Bedu-Addo, the Adum branch manager of the bank in Kumasi, noted that agriculture was the backbone of the nation's development and as such there was the need for farmers and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector to continue to boost production. Nana Kwaku Sarfo II, Ejurahene, commended the bank for its continued support for farmers in the area and asked for the assistance to be extended to access to farm machines. Dec. 06 05