Dr. Ephraim Avea Nsoh, Upper West Regional Minister, has issued a directive to security personnel in the region to deal ruthlessly with anybody caught smuggling fertilizer.

Dr. Nsoh issued the declaration during the second ordinary meeting of the Sissala West District Assembly at Gwollu.

The minister noted that government was spending huge sums of money on fertilizer subsidy in order to make it affordable and accessible to poor farmers in rural communities for them to increase agricultural production and reduce poverty.

Dr. Nsoh stated that such a vision would not be allowed to be thwarted by activities of such unscrupulous individuals under his watch as the chief administrator of the region, adding that fuel smugglers would also be pursued with the same vigour.

He noted that government would continue to provide the needed basic social and economic infrastructure to set the stage for accelerated development in the district, the region and the nation at large.

The regional minister, therefore, appealed to the Assembly members to support the course by reducing demands on the Assembly and rather be more proactive in supporting the Assembly’s efforts to maximize its Internally Generated Fund (IGF).

Mr. Moses Dramani Luri, Sissala West District Chief Executive (DCE) in his address cautioned farmers to use agro-chemicals professionally such that they would not harm themselves and the environment either now or in the near future.

He said due to the low recovery rate of both the 2012 Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and “Block Farming” programmes, few farmers had been selected to implement the block farm project in the district, while the SADA programme had been taken over by two service providers namely; HERITAGE and TUDRIDEP.

Mr. Luri said work on many of the feeder roads in the district was on-going to improve the road network for easy transportation.

The DCE appealed to Assembly members, chiefs, religious and opinion leaders to help support the revenue mobilization efforts of the Assembly for the execution of more development projects.