Kumasi, Feb, 27, GNA - Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo, Ashanti Regional Minister, has called for absolute transparency in the sunflower cultivation project in order to sustain the interest of farmers.

He observed that, most farmers who were interested in the cultivation of the seed had become frustrated due to some alleged underhand dealings and other clandestine activities of the so-called coordinators of the project in the past and were therefore, loosing interest in the cultivation of the plant alltogether.

Mr Boafo made the call when Mr Isah Sulemana, Chief Executive Officer of TRAGRIMACS, experts and producers of sunflower oil and products, paid a courtesy called on him at his office in Kumasi on Monday. The call was to brief the Minister on the efforts being made by the company to promote sunflower cultivation to produce oil and cakes for the local and international markets.

Mr Boafo said sunflower cultivation had the potential to reduce unemployment and poverty, especially among the youth in the country, and there was the need to assure interested farmers of the potentials and market opportunities that existed for the product both locally and internationally to enable them go into large scale production. He appealed to the company to be transparent and provide interested farmers with the right seed and other assistance and logistics to enable them go into production.

Mr Sulemana on his part said Ghana had a huge potential in sunflower cultivation and production of oil and cakes for the home care and poultry industries in the country.

He said the company which was a farmer based organization had the responsibility to provide the right seeds to farmers for cultivation and called for support to enable more farmers to undertake the project.