General News of Saturday, 20 March 2004

Source: GNA

FAO Boss visits 330,000-dollar project site.

Accra, 20 March, GNA - Dr. Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for Africa, on Friday visited the Amrahia Dairy Farm in the Greater Accra Region to inspect a 330,000-dollar project sponsored by the organisation. The sponsorship involved procurement of new equipment to revamp the operations of the farm, and training programmes for small-scale dairy farmers.

Briefing newsmen at the project site, Mr Emmanuel Dagbui, Farm Manager, said under the sponsorship, two foreign and one local consultants were hired to educate the farmers about hygienic means of rearing cattle and handling of milk obtained from their dairy farms. He said the farm, which had 300 cattle, milked from 1,000 to 2,000 litres a day in bumper season, which were processed into butter, fresh milk and yoghurt.

Mr Dagbui stated that the farm served as a resource centre for dairy farmers to upgrade their knowledge in farm management, and also offered them ready market for their products. He said the farm had planned to work in collaboration with other research institutions to find ways to help solve future problems confronting dairy farmers.