Fumso (Ash), March 4, GNA- Cassava farmers in five communities in the Adansi East district of Ashanti have benefited from two days workshops on the President's Special Initiative (PSI) on cassava organised by the Opportunities Industrialisation Centre (OIC) Ghana. The communities were Adansi-Praso, Fumso, Akwansrem, Ansa and Bodwesango.

Addressing the Fumso cassava farmers at one of the workshops, Mr Ebenezer Kwesi Affainie, Agribusiness Development Officer of OIC, said the 'Sika Starch Factory' to be built at Obuasi would be in operations before the end of the year.

The 17 million-dollar factory would be owned by the farmers themselves and therefore discounted the notion that the factory will be for only members of a particular political party.

Mr Affainie asked them to buy shares in the factory and also form groups to produce the cassava on a large scale since individuals cannot feed the factory when it starts operating.

He assured the farmers that there will be ready market for their produce and therefore asked them not to entertain any fear about market. Nana Kwankye-Pong II, chief of Fumso, expressed gratitude to the government for the efforts it was making to reduce unemployment through the PSI.

He pledged his full support for the establishment of the factory since it would create employment for the youth of the area.