GOVT TO REVAMP RICE INDUSTRY IN UPPER EAST (D/G, Monday, March 30, 2009. PAGE 40)

THE government has initiated moves to revamp the rice industry in the Upper East Region. As such it has sought the intervention of some investors from Thailand with the view of establishing a rice mill in the rice producing areas of the region.
The Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo who announced this, said the move was aimed at creating jobs, rekindling farming activities as well as reducing poverty in the region.
The regional minister said this, when he paid a courtesy call on the chiefs and people of Sandema as part of his familiarisation tour of the area.
He was accompanied by the Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Alhaji Mahama Hamidu and the Registrar of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs, Mr Samuel S. Mahama.
Mr Woyongo was not happy that the Fumbisi Valley, which used to produce large tonnes of rice and other food crops, had not been put to good use, stressing that it was the intention of the government to rekindle life in that part of the region.
He stated that if such an intervention was provided by Thailand, enough jobs would be created and the youth would not be compelled to migrate.
Speaking at the palaces of the Sandem Nab, Nansuib Nab Alexis Atampuri Azantilow, the Kayore Pe, Oscar Batabi Tiyamu and the Paga Pio, Pe Charles Awia Awampaga, Mr Woyongo said the Mills administration was committed to the improvement of the well-being of the people.
He said the development of agriculture in the northern part of the country was a priority on the government’s agenda.
For that matter, the regional minister said a number of interventions had been earmarked for the north to bridge the development gap between that part of the country and the south.
“We will construct more dams and dredge the 220 dams already in the system that had been silted. The government will also make accessible to farmers at reduced prices”, he said.
He stated that the region had started taking delivery of a number of tractors including those that could plough the field in flooded areas which would be sold out to farmers at subsidised prices to enable them to expand their farms.
The regional minister deplored the slow pace at which work on the Sandema-Chuchuliga road and the one leading to Kayoro were progressing, and impressed upon the supervising agencies to see to the early completion of the projects.
Mr Woyongo said he was count on the co-operation of chiefs to sustain the peace in the region and therefore appealed to the various traditional rulers to join hands with the government to bring development to the region.
He urged the chiefs to entreat their subjects to foster peace in the country, stressing that the people should put behind party politics and forge ahead in unity to develop the region.
The Nansui Nab, Alexis Atampuri Azantilow pledged his support and that of the people in his traditional area to the regional minister in the development of the area.
At Kayoro, Pe Oscar Batabi Tiyamu urged the government to extend electricity to his traditional area and also improve the road network between Kayoro and Paga, the district capital.
The Paga Pio, Pe Charles Awia Awampaga, for his part, bemoaned the lack of consultation with traditional authorities in the selection of government appointees to the District Assemblies.
He called on the regional minister to ensure that development projects were evenly spread across the length and breadth of the district.
The Paga Pio pledged his willingness to donate land for the construction of a modern police station with barracks attached befitting Paga, which is a busy border town.
The regional minister mentioned the development of the tourism potential of Paga including the crocodile pond and the slave camp at Pikoro in order to attract both local and foreign tourists.