• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Photo Gallery
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Citi TV
Tuesday, August 9, 2022
Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Showbiz
  • Coronavirus
  • Infographics
  • Livestream
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Showbiz
  • Coronavirus
  • Infographics
  • Livestream
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana
No Result
View All Result

1D1F: Watermelon farmers in N/East anxious about losses as factory remains uncompleted

byMaxwell Suuk
July 14, 2021
Reading Time: 2 mins read
ShareShareShareShare

It is another season for the harvesting of watermelon in parts of the North East Region, and some farmers are already worried about post-harvest losses, largely due to the lack of market for the produce.

There are nearly one thousand farmers engaging in the annual production of watermelon in the region. But production always outweighs demand, leading to a glut during the peak seasons.

The melons get rotten every season, and the farmers lose their investments.

In a bid to address this perennial problem, the government started the construction of a melon intake factory in late 2019.

The financiers, the Ghana Exim Bank, pledged to complete the project within 9 months after commencement. But that deadline has elapsed the second time, as the factory is yet to be completed.

During a visit by Citi News to interact with some watermelon growing communities in the North East Region, a farmer in Walewale, Amidu Salifu, said his melon is ready, but there are no buyers.

According to him, prior to the season, officers from the Municipal Agriculture Department put them into groups with the assurance that the product will now be absorbed by the factory, which will be completed before the harvest season.

“We were informed that the factory will absorb the produce this year, and so we cultivated a lot of the melon, and now they are about to waste because there are no buyers. As we speak, it is harvesting time, and the factory is not ready yet. There is no doubt that we will record losses again this year”, Amidu Salifu complained.

Just like Amidu Salifu, a lot of the farmers were motivated to cultivate the melon this year because of the assurance of the readiness of the factory to buy from them.

“We were made to form groups, so that our activities can be monitored. They said the factory will buy only quality melons. That motivated a lot of us to farm this year. But now it looks like we will be disappointed again because the factory is not ready and there is no good market too” Amidu Salifu added.

The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, broke the ground for the construction of the melon factory in December 2019.

The factory is under the government’s flagship project; the One District, One Factory. The Exim Bank is funding its construction.

The factory was expected to be delivered within a year after the sod cutting. But two years down the line, it is yet to be completed.

The President toured the factory in June 2021 to inspect the progress of work. Processing equipment has been installed, but it is not ready for intake of the farmers’ produce.

As the farmers wait relentlessly for the factory’s completion, Amidu Salifu and his colleague farmers have only one plea.

“Our headache right now is how to secure the market for the melon because we have incurred a lot of costs for the cultivation. We are just appealing to stakeholders to help us so that we don’t experience what we go through annually again.”

ShareTweetSendSend
Previous Post

BIMA launches experience centre at Chorkor

Next Post

The Digital Currency Revolution and its implications for SMEs [Article]

Related Posts

Top Stories

Mahama takes on gov’t over recent economic downgrade; calls for national dialogue

August 9, 2022
Top Stories

Have confidence; I’m determined to fix economy despite downgrade – Nana Addo

August 9, 2022
Top Stories

Lariba Abudu’s nomination as Gender Minister ‘uninspiring’ – Ablakwa

August 9, 2022
Top Stories

John Kwakye worried over S&P rating, says downgrade could affect investor confidence

August 9, 2022
Top Stories

Bolgatanga, Bawku technical institutes may reopen after TVET exams – Regional Minister

August 9, 2022
News

Downward ratings: International market reacting to mid-year budget policies – Economist

August 9, 2022
Next Post

The Digital Currency Revolution and its implications for SMEs [Article]

TOP STORIES

Mahama takes on gov’t over recent economic downgrade; calls for national dialogue

August 9, 2022

Have confidence; I’m determined to fix economy despite downgrade – Nana Addo

August 9, 2022

Lariba Abudu’s nomination as Gender Minister ‘uninspiring’ – Ablakwa

August 9, 2022
Load More
ADVERTISEMENT
Citinewsroom – Comprehensive News in Ghana

CitiNewsroom.com is Ghana's leading news website that delivers high quality innovative, alternative news that challenges the status quo.

Archives

Download App

Download

Download

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Photo Gallery
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Citi TV

© 2021 All Rights Reserved Citi Newsroom.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Showbiz
  • Coronavirus
  • Infographics
  • Livestream
  • Videos

© 2021 All Rights Reserved Citi Newsroom.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT