Gomoa-Nyeakuadze (C/R), Jan 28, GNA - The queenmother of Gomoa-Nyeakuadze in the Central Region, Nana Odaabah II has appealed to the government to increase loans granted to female farmers under the MICRO Credit Scheme from five hundred thousand cedis to five million cedis per beneficiary.

This, Nana Odaabah explained, would give the beneficiaries the required financial backing to operate meaningfully in other to meet the nation's food production targets and also earn enough income to cater for their children's education and contribute their quota financially towards the development of their towns and villages.

It would also ensure prompt settlement of loans to make the revolving aspect of the scheme to work satisfactorily to enable others also to benefit from it.

The queenmother was speaking at a meeting with a group of female farmers at Gomoa-Nyeakuadze at which Nana Enukumah Chief of the town and Mr John Arthur Nyeakuadze, Project Planing and Implementation Committee Financial Secretary took turn to address the women on issues affecting the general well-being of the community and the nation.

While describing the Micro Credit Scheme as useful, Nana Odaabah said the five hundred thousand cedis peg for a beneficiary is woefully inadequate, considering the huge expenditure food crop farmers incurs on the preparation of farmlands.

Besides, the farmer must also, as matter of necessity, procure seedlings for planting activities.

Nana Odaabah further explained that taking all these into consideration, one could realise that the five hundred thousand cedis loan granted to the farmer is extremely insufficient to push a farmer to make meaningful contribution towards food situation in the country. It was for this reason that farmers in the Nyeakuadze were calling on the government to increase the loan package to attract more female farmers to embrace the scheme.