Green Pepper For UK

The Millennium Development Authority (MDA) has supported farmers in Akwasiho in the Kwahu East District of the Eastern Region to produce green pepper for export to the United Kingdom (UK). Forty-seven out of the 50 members of Blessing Farmers Association in the district that received technical and financial support form the Authority, sold 5.6 tones of the produce worth GH�5,700 to Dhillon Farm Limited, a vegetable exporting company.

Mr. Samuel Asante-Mensah, Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA)-Ghana project Manager of the Regional Implementation Consultant of the Afram Basin Project, disclosed this to GNA after visiting pepper farms in Akwasiho on Tuesday. He stressed that through the �Value Chain and the Direct Linkages� the farmers sold pepper to Dhillon company and Whytebage Information company for export.

Mr. Asante-Mensah advised the farmers to increase production since more companies want to purchase green pepper for export, adding that the Project has offered employment to the youth in the area. He said the cultivation of pepper is profitable as a farmer is able to generate GH�1,500 from one-and-half acre of pepper within a month as he is still harvesting.

Mr. Asante-Mensah said that about 7,112 farmers have participated in six-week training in business development organization capacity building training and a three-week second phase training in the production of maize, yam, cassava, cowpea and groundnuts. Commercialization of Agricultural Project Manager of MDA, Mr. Michael Asomani-Adem, said by the end of the Project, $25 million would be spent by MDA for the training of 30,000 farmers.

He said farmers in the Afram Basin comprising 9 districts in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions would receive credit assistance. Mr. Asomani-Adem advised the farmers in the Zone to take advantage of the Project and increase yield towards poverty alleviation.

Source: GNA