Ghana government officials have cut sod for an avocado processing factory at Akyem-Nkronso, in the Abuakwa South Municipality.
Under the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative, Akuapem Gold Agro Processing Ltd, funded by EXIM Bank, intends to drive the government’s “Ghana Beyond Aid” agenda and help reduce poverty in rural Ghana.
Speaking at the project launch, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, said the Akufo-Addo-led government aims to make avocado cultivation and export more attractive to Ghanaian farmers, with a crop that fetches a good price. He said that avocado is a new commercial crop in Ghana and there is high demand for the fruit worldwide.
The government imported 300,000 seedlings from Kenya for grafting last year to enable farmers to work hard and reap good yields in the next four to five years, he said. The Minister commended Akuapem Gold Agro Processing Ltd for its boldness in undertaking the plantation project and building a factory for fruit processing.
The first phase of the plantation development involves 2,000 acres of avocado. Two hundred acres are already under cultivation with avocados, with a target to cover 10,000 acres over the next five years.
Source: thestatesmanonline.com
