Akatsi North District Assembly of the Volta Region, has started a proto-type market at Ave-Atanve to link up agricultural producers to food merchants.

It would bring to four open markets in the new district.

The older markets are at Ave-Afiadenyigba, Hevi and Ave-Dakpa.

Mr James Gunu, District Chief Executive (DCE) announced this as he hosted the 12 all male newly elected assembly members and some losing candidates in the recent District Assembly level elections in the area.

The purpose of the meeting is to exchange ideas and also to update them on projects of the assembly ahead of their inauguration.

Mr Gunu said the market should help stimulate economic revenue generation and development of the area.

The DCE said a number of feeder roads including the 2.2km Ative-Ndowukope, 7.0 km Yevi Junction-Kpohe and 3.2 km Torkpo-Hadave are up for reshaping in earnest to improve general transportation and easy evacuation of foodstuff to the markets under the programme.

He said a 40-room two-story shopping centre is being put up at Ave-Dakpa the district capital, while a revenue office, a warehouse and place of convenience for the market is already in use.

Mr Gunu said Internal Fund Generation (IGF) and general economic activity in the young and ‘truly deprived area’ is not the best and entreated the assembly members to start mobilising their people on payment of bills and rates.

He said though the area is agricultural based, with unending arable land, production remains very low, as the area produced only 600 tonnes of maize last year.

Mr Gunu observed that only 100 tonnes is for the markets.

The DCE appealed to banks to offer soft loans to farmers, urging the farmers to form cooperatives to enable them pull resources to purchase subsidised tractors and other implements.