Bolgatanga, March 17, GNA- The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in the Upper East Region has taken delivery of a quantity of tomato processing machines for sale to interested farmers, groups and individuals.

Each machine costs 18 million cedis, and is capable of processing fresh tomato into puree, which can be stored for six months. Mr. Roy Ayariga, Regional Director of MOFA announced this on Wednesday when an 18-member delegation of the Bolgatanga Tomato Farmers Co-operative Society called at his office in Bolgatanga to formally congratulate him on his recent appointment to the office of Regional Director.

Mr. Ayariga, a professional agronomist, took over from Mr. Edmund Otupiri who has proceeded on retirement after 13 years of service at the regional MOFA directorate.

The incoming director urged farmers in the area to mobilize their resources and purchase the machines, saying they would provide an effective solution to the problems of perennial tomato glut in the region and its attendant low market prices of the commodity.

Mr. Ayariga indicated that MOFA intends to give a new impetus to the formation of viable co-operative societies in the region because it is the only reliable way of getting government assistance across to needy farmers.

He announced that MOFA has made available 51 million cedis to the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) at Nyankpala and Manga to conduct a research into tomato diseases, as part of measures to eradicate the problems that militate against large-scale tomato production in the region.

The Chairman of the Tomato Farmers Co-operative Society, Alhaji Bawah Inusah, who led the delegation, said members of the society are elated at the fact that a fellow tomato grower has been elevated to the office of Regional Director of MOFA.

He was optimistic that problems confronting dry season tomato growers in the region would be rapidly and adequately addressed since the newly appointed director was already conversant with the situation on the ground.

Also present at the meeting was Alhaji Misbau Ahmed, Bolgatanga District Director of MOFA, Mr Fuseini Seidu, Credit Officer for MOFA/IFAD, and other support staff of the Regional MOFA directorate.