Hohoe (V/R), Sept 8, GNA - More than 800 rice farmers in the Hohoe Municipality in the Volta Region are to benefit from the services of a modern equipment to boost food production. The GH¢56,000 worth equipment, include a three-in-one Combined Rice Harvester, which harvests, thrashes and bags rice, and two Automatic Rice Seeders that facilitates transplanting of rice seedlings. The equipment, which was presented to the farmers at a ceremony at Hohoe on Tuesday, was to assist them to avoid manual methods of processing rice that is time-consuming and expensive, to ensure the production of quality rice.

It was provided by the Finatradegroup of Companies, a rice buying and marketing company, in partnership with Agriculture Cooperation Development International/Volunteer Organization Cooperation Agency Advance Programme, United States Agency for International Development and the Millennium Development Authority. Mr Pastor Holy Mensah-Aidams, a Nucleus Rice Farmer in the Municipality, has been trained to manage the equipment as part of the package.

He would take custody of the equipment and hire it to other rice farmers and use the proceeds to maintain the equipment. Mr Mensah-Aidams commended Finatradegroup and its partners for the initiative, which according to him would help reduce the cost of rice production in the Municipality. Mr Nabil Moukarzel, Chairman of Finatradegroup of Companies, who made the presentation, said as a stakeholder in the rice industry, the group was assisting the farmers to produce large quantity of quality rice for local consumption. He assured the farmers that "We are also providing a guaranteed market not only to rice farmers in the Hohoe Municipality but to all rice farmers across the country provided the quality meets the requirements of the Ghanaian consumer". Mr Moukarzel said that Rice Master, a subsidiary of Finatradegroup, donated rice seeds to farmers at Dawhenya, marketed paddy rice from Lowland Rice Project in the Northern Region, provided scholarships for the study of agriculture in tertiary institutions and sponsored some activities of the national team, Ghana Black Stars amongst others. He said Finatradegroup would ensure the success of the local rice industry and called on Government to support the group to achieve its objectives.

Mr John Tsrakasu, Volta Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, announced that Government was developing a scheme to make available 1,500 acres of land between Hohoe and Kadjebi in the Region for rice production, to meet local demand, which would commence early next year. He said feasibility studies had been done on identified valleys in the area as part of the project. Mr Tsrakasu called for harmonization of projects sponsored by non-governmental organization or development partners with Government interventions, so that the country could benefit from such initiatives. Attention recipients, item 01 ends first cast.