Sunyani, Feb 01, GNA - The Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) has budgeted more than 241 billion cedis to support lending activities in the Brong Ahafo Region, Mr Edward Boakye Agyeman, the Managing Director, said in Sunyani at the weekend.

He said the main areas to be covered are cocoa maintenance, BAT Master Farmers Tobacco Scheme, livestock and poultry, cashew and plantain production.

Others are grain inventory and foodstuff marketing, special maize programme and young farmers' programme being piloted at Dormaa Ahenkro and Goaso areas.

In an address read for him at a dinner dance to mark the bank's 40th anniversary, Mr Agyeman said the bank had drawn special programmes to support these critical areas of the economy.

He assured the bank's customers in the region of its resolve to continue to support their projects and businesses "so that together we can grow into a formidable partnership for the overall development of our dear nation".

Mr Agyeman said at 40 years, the ADB had just entered another phase of its development and this posed challenges for both staff and customers and expressed the hope that the staff would continue to put in their maximum and work even harder in the coming years.

"There is so much competition in the industry and we need to reposition ourselves in order to meet the challenges posed by the competition", he said.

Mr Agyeman said the bank's computerization programme was on course and all its branches would soon be networked to enable the staff to deliver a more effective service to its numerous customers.

"The bank remains committed to professional customer service delivery and management expects you to be able to delight and excite our customers in your service delivery at all times", the Managing Director said.

Mr. Alfred Basoglayele, the Brong Ahafo Area Manager, said two out of seven farmers' fora organised nationwide as part of activities to mark the anniversary were held at Wenchi and Goaso.

He said this was in recognition of the immense agricultural potential and contribution that Brong Ahafo had been making and continued to make "as it plays its befitting role as the food basket of our dear nation".

The area manger said the bank's involvement in the implementation of various government interventions in the agricultural sector in the region was not only significant but also tremendous. Mr Basoglayele mentioned among others the livestock development project at Kintampo, the cashew development project at Jaman, Wenchi and Kintampo districts and inland valleys rice project at Tano South and North districts.

The cocoa hi-tech programme involving the supply of cocoa inputs to farmers for increased yield is also being undertaken in Goaso, Kwapong, Dormaa Ahenkro, Berekum, Sefwi Essem and Bonsu Nkwanta, he added.