The Bono East Regional Minister, Francis Owusu Antwi, has expressed satisfaction with the progress of work on the ongoing construction of a Farmer Service Centre at Kintampo, capital of the Kintampo North Municipality. The centre is one of five planned for the Bono East Region under the Feed Ghana Programme. The programme aims to support farmers in the region with modern equipment and facilities. The Minister visited the site with his team to assess the level of work. He noted that the project started about two months ago and the progress so far gives confidence that it will be completed on schedule.
The Bono East Region is set to benefit from five Farmer Service Centres, with Kintampo being the first where construction has started. The other centres will be located at Sene East, Atebubu-Amantin, Techiman, and Nkoranza. According to the Minister, Kintampo is centrally located in Ghana and strategically positioned to support farmers. This strategic location will enable farmers to access a wide range of crops from both the northern and southern parts of the country.
The facility will greatly support farmers in the region by providing them with modern equipment and facilities. The centre will have a mechanization centre to house tractors, combine harvesters, and other farm equipment. Additionally, it will have large warehouses covering about 600,000 square metres. One warehouse will be used for storage of farm inputs, while the other will be used for off-taking and storage of farm produce.
The Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Kwasi Etu-Bonde, described the Kintampo centre as one of 270 Farmer Service Centres the government plans to establish across all agricultural districts in the country. Kintampo is among the first 50 districts in the first phase. The centres aim to enhance the value chain concept in the region by providing farmers with modern equipment and facilities.
The Kintampo centre will have dryers and cleaning machines, including cassava dryers and equipment for processing mango and cashew. Kintampo is the largest producer of mango in Ghana. The centre will also have storage facilities to support farmers in the region. The government has procured over 1,840 pieces of equipment from Belarus for distribution to the first 50 centres.
The Regional Minister thanked the President for the intervention and assured that his office will continue to monitor the project. He noted that the facility will facilitate farmers' activities by providing them with more tractors, dryers, and storage facilities. The Minister expressed his gratitude to the government for the initiative and promised to ensure the project's success.
The construction of the Farmer Service Centre in Kintampo is expected to be completed on schedule. The centre will provide a boost to farmers in the region by providing them with modern equipment and facilities. The government's initiative to establish 270 Farmer Service Centres across the country aims to enhance the agricultural sector and support farmers.
Key points
- The Bono East Region is set to benefit from five Farmer Service Centres under the Feed Ghana Programme.
- The Kintampo centre is one of 270 Farmer Service Centres the government plans to establish across all agricultural districts in the country.
- The facility will comprise a mechanization centre and large warehouses covering about 600,000 square metres.
