“Berekum West Assembly addressing water challenges” –DCE assures tomato farmers

The District Chief Executive for Berekum West, Isaac Osei has assured Tomato farmers who called on the government to bring 1 village, 1 Dam to the area to help solve the water crises facing the farming activities that the assembly is working gradually in resolving the challenge.

The DCE Assembly is embarking on a community water project which some communities have already benefited from.

Honourable Isaac Osei speaking told Soiree News whiles reacting to the farmer's concerns said, their calls are in the right direction and his district will need more than twenty Dams in every community and not one as in the government’s initiative.

“Berekum West will even need a 1 village, 20 Dams instead of 1 village, 1Dam”, he stressed.

Tomato farmers at Fetentaa in the Berekum West District of the Bono region urged the government to extend the ‘1-Village-1-Dam’ project to the area to salvage agriculture from the current doldrums.

According to them, the effects of climate change coupled with another plethora of challenges have made irrigation an imperative intervention needed to improve the state of farming in the country.

The association consequently appealed to the government to make irrigation schemes affordable and accessible to the average farmer so as to make vegetable cultivation more attractive and viable. 

To augment the insufficient rainwater, the farmers had been compelled to draw water from nearby streams to irrigate their crops.

This the farmers noted have taken a huge toll on their finances.

Speaking to Ark News monitored by Soireenews correspondent in the Bono East Region, one of the leaders of the association, Mr Christopher Kusi indicated that tomato production if attached with seriousness and given the needed resources from the government can gain the country more revenue and reduce the importation of tomatoes from Burkina Faso.

He said, they as a farmer are willing to produce whatever quantity the country needs for consumption and even exportation but will need support from the government.

But the DCE for the area, Honourable Isaac Osei says the Assembly is aware of the situation and is working tirelessly to resolve it.

He said some Non-Governmental Organisations(NGOs) have shown keen interest thus have assured to support the assembly financially to resolve the issue hence calling on the farmers to exercise restraint as the situation is gradually being handled.

The Berekum West District Chief Executive however took the opportunity to advise tomato farmers in the area and in the country at large to take advantage of the Tomato Processing Factory at Berekum Domfete by growing more of the recognized tomatoes for income.

Nana Ama Asiedu Bono Region