Government To Establish Farmer Service Centres

President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday said the government, through the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority, would establish Farmer Service Centres in the Northern, Upper East, Upper West and parts of Brong Ahafo and Volta regions.

Under the centres, he said, farmers would be offered quality seeds, machinery, improved farming practices, technical services and document the activities of all farmers at each catchment area.

President Mahama said this at Saboba when he addressed supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as part of his four-day campaign tour of the Northern Region.

The President, who had addressed similar rallies over the past three days in other districts, would also campaign at Wapuli, Chereponi, Ziong, Gushegu and Tampion on his fourth day of the regional tour.

He said the Government would also establish Micro Credit Centres to support the farmers to expand their activities from subsistence to commercial farming.

President Mahama said tractors would also be made available for both outright purchase or on hiring basis and called on farmers to form cooperatives that would enable them to acquire such services.

President Mahama gave the assurance that government would build an irrigation dam for the people to engage in all year farming activities.

He said the completion of the dam would engage more than one thousand farmers in the area which would prevent the rural-urban drift of people in search of non-existent jobs in the urban areas.

President Mahama said government would also asphalt the Saboba-Yendi roads giving the assurance that it was currently undergoing the procurement process.

He said 45 culverts would also be constructed while the Saboba-Chereponi road would be constructed to help them to cart foodstuff from the rural areas to marketing centres.

The President said government would also build a concrete bridge over the Oti River to facilitate commercial activities between Ghanaians and their Togolese counterparts since that place was closer to Togo.

He said eight communities would also receive electricity under the current extension programme throughout the country.

President Mahama hinted that the Ghana Commercial Bank had agreed to establish an agency in Saboba which would subsequently be upgraded into a full branch in the coming days.

He promised to also upgrade the Saboba Health Centre into a fully fledged hospital to adequately cater for the health needs of the people.

Uchabobor Michael Binalibein Kambonja, the Paramount Chief of Saboba, commended President Mahama for the numerous development projects scattered all over the district.

He appealed for the upgrading of the Saboba Health Facility into a hospital.