Business News of Thursday, 16 November 2006

Source: GNA

Companies donate to Farmers' Day

Accra, Nov. 16, GNA - A number of organizations on Thursday donated items and cash towards this year's Farmers' Day celebration, which falls on December 1.

The companies include COCOBOD, which donated items and cash totalling 347.1 million cedis.

The items included wax prints, TV sets, hand sprayers, spraying machines, radio cassette recorders, machetes, Wellington boots, hand gloves, fridges and bicycles.

Other presentations by COCOBOD included 20 million cedis, one carton of chocolate and a carton of vitaco, cocoa products for members of the planning committee while donating three million cedis to the best cocoa farmer, two million cedis to the best coffee farmer and a million cedis to the best sheanut picker.

COCOBOD would also sponsor the Best Cocoa Farmer to the Royal Agriculture Show in London next July by providing an Accra-London-Accra air ticket and per diem allowances.

Agrimat Limited donated a juice extract machine worth 30 million cedis, while Unilever donated 300 cartons of detergent. Chemisco, dealers in agric chemicals donated a cheque of 50 miilion cedis as well as fungicide worth 50 million cedis, Mutivet donated a plucking machine and a cheque for 3.5 million cedis. Ghana International Airline presented a sponsorship package for 13 prospective winners to South Africa and Merchant Bank gave 20 million cedis as part of their corporate responsibilities to assist in organizing the event.

State Insurance Company presented a cheque of 30 million cedis and pledged their continual support for the programme while announcing that they would also insure the Best Farmer's house.

Sildelco Limited, manufactures of liquid fertilizers, donated 10 cartons of liquid fertilizer and 10 million cedis cash while Dizengoff Limited presented 50 million cedis cash and 83 million cedis worth of products.

Frankason Limited donated a fog spray machine worth 11.5 million and a cheque of 10 million cedis, Qualiplast donated 50 million cedis, Bank of Ghana presented a cheque of 30 million cedis, SG-SSB donated 30 million cedis and Ghana Reinsurance Company donated 25 million cedis. The Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Clement Eledi, who received the donations on behalf of the Ministry, said the Ministry was grateful to the various companies who had shown their support towards the celebration.

He appealed to the insurance companies to insure all farmers and their farms.