Ashaiman, Oct. 10, GNA - Ninety-three members of the Ashaiman Irrigation Co-operative Farmers Society have undergone a day's training programme on Sunflower production. It formed part of the Farmer Based Organisational Development Fund (FBODF), facility for farmers' groups to assist them in capacity building in production and processing.

Mr Issa Sulemana Chief Executive Officer of Tropical Agricultural Marketing and Consultancy Services, a consultancy firm in Sunflower production, addressing the farmers said about 400 million cedis had been approved for the production of Sunflower under the programme. He said the programme was to sensitise the farmers on Sunflower importation and encouraged them to increase production.

Ghana imports over 200,000 dollars worth of Sunflower oil annually despite the better climatic conditions to cultivate and process Sunflower. The participants were taken through soil requirements for production, chemical control, storage and marketing, and some modern agricultural practices.