The GRATIS Foundation (GF) has received orders worth about 500,000 dollars from the Sierra Leonean government to supply farming implements and inputs for a programme to encourage the youth to go into farming, provide employable skills and to boost the economy.

The orders follow exhibitions of the Foundation's products at agricultural shows held in Sierra Leone, in October last year and February this year, Dr Kwabena Dankyi Daffour, Executive Director of the GF disclosed to newsmen at Tema on Saturday.

He said while all the exhibitors at the Fair displayed farm produce, GRATIS, Ghana the only foreign participator displayed inputs such as gari processing machines, multi crop thresher for rice, rice polisher, palm fruit digester, oil press among others, which attracted many people to its stand.

He said President Tijan Kabbah was very impressed and urged the Minister of Agriculture to negotiate with the Foundation to obtain some of the equipment to boost Sirra Leone's agriculture and economy.

The Executive Director said when all the necessary negotiations go through, GF would spend about three months to produce the inputs and ship them before the end of the year, adding that, Sierra Leone is a potential market, which should be nurtured.

Dr Daffuor disclosed that Sierra Leone is planning to seek the assistance of GF to train some youth in fabrication for the manufacture of spare parts and had invited the Foundation to establish a branch in the country for a long-term programme.

The GF was established in 1987 to promote the development of the small-scale industry through the transfer of appropriate technologies especially to the food, textiles, wood and light engineering sectors.

It operates Regional Technology Transfer Centres (RTTC) in nine regions for research, development and training in equipment manufacture, provides credit and consultancy services and the produces farm tools and implements, agro and food processing machines.