Nyariga (UE), Feb 25, GNA- The Ghana Trade and Livelihood Coalition (GTLC) on Friday launched a monitoring and evaluation system on agriculture at Nyariga, a farming community in the Bolgatanga Municipality, of the Uppe= r East Region. It would provide farmers and the GTLC Secretariat the opportunity to monitor and evaluate trade and agriculture policy implementation and its impact on livelihoods and to inform policy making. Speaking at the launching ceremony which was attended by stakeholders including farmers, Chiefs and Elders, Members of Parliament from the United Kingdom and Christian Aid Ghana, the National Coordinator of the GTLC, Mr Ibrahim Akalbila said his outfit would be used as a Secretariat to collect data and to facilitate the process.

Enumerating some of its achievements, he said the GTLC played a major role in the revamping of the Northern Star Tomato Factory. "It also played another major role that led to the institutionalizat= ion of the purchase of local rice and poultry in the 2007 budget and the increased consumption of local rice and stood against the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs)"

He commended Christian Aid, UK for the financial and moral support to the administration and development of GTLC.

Mr Abduallai Asuwa, a representative of the farmers said farmers had been empowered to undertake advocacy programmes on issues affecting them which would go a long way to improve their standard of living. He said one of the major problems facing the farmers in the region was lack of market for their produce, especially tomato. He mentioned the broken canals and laterals of the Vea Irrigation facility as another major issue confronting the farmers and called on government to offer help.

"Many of our farmers cannot access water through the canals and laterals to irrigate their farmlands, as a result, many of them are abandoning their farmlands and this is affecting their livelihoods. Government and other stakeholders help us", Mr Asuwa appealed.