A 3500 50kg bag (150 tonnes) capacity ultra-modern warehouse commissioned for use by farmers at Nsuekyir in the Effutu Municipality of the Central Region.
The project funded by the Norwegian Government, Local Climate Adaptive Living (LoCal) Facility and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) through the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development was initiated to serve as a storage facility for farming communities in the Municipality.
The construction of the warehouse formed part of the UNCDF’s Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility project geared towards promoting green and climate resilient local economics in Ghana by applying circular economy and climate smart agriculture principles and solutions to local development pathways.
The warehouse which is expected to be used for the aggregation and storage of farm commodities including maize has among other things been provided with a Patio (an adequate drying platform) for proper grain handling and drying purposes to help in the maintenance of the quality of the farm produce as well as a borehole for the provision of water for the farmers.
In an address delivered on his behalf by the Municipal Coordinating Director on behalf of the MCE the Municipal Chief Executive for the Effutu Municipal Assembly, Hon. Alhaji Zubairu Kassim thanked the donors and pledged to supervise to ensure the adequate use of the facility to benefit the Effutu people.
According to him, post- harvest losses endured by farmers continued to be the bane militating against the growth of the agricultural sector and the livelihoods of farmers in the Municipality.
He intimated that, post- harvest losses had been a perineal challenge confronting farmers in the area and was confident that the provision of the storage facility would be a panacea to reduce to the barest minimum the canker to enable farmers maximize the fruits of their labour.
Hon. Zubairu Kassim expressed optimism that the construction of the storage facility would offer a sigh of relief to farmers in Effutu and its adjoining communities. He admonished the hard farmers in the Municipality who were the direct beneficiaries of the project to put the project to good use by exhibiting a high sense of maintenance culture.
A representative of the Minister of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development, Madam Linda Agyepong, who presented the speech on behalf of the Minister noted that the projects were constructed under phase 1 of the LoCal Ace initiative which encompasses the construction of a warehouse for farmers at Nsuekyir, the drilling and provision of water facilities as well as a Patio for adequate drying of the crops.
According to her, the team also among other things, undertook a sensitization exercise for some communities in the Municipalities on the impact of climate change and how their actions could influence a circular economy as well as climate smart agricultural practices and a training programme for 52 beneficiary women in soap making with start-up kits provided.
