The Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency in the Volta Region, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, took his campaign for #BuyMade in Ghana Rice# a notch higher last Saturday by presenting a GHC300,000 brand new combine harvester to the Aveyime Rice Farmers’ Association in his constituency.
Presenting the keys to the association, Mr Ablakwa, who recently donated a Toyota Corolla luxury car to a dedicated midwife at a hospital in his constituency, said,”the era of depending on expensive and unreliable rentals are over.”
The gesture was to make the farming implement accessible and affordable to his constituents who could not afford it from other private owners.
“Earlier today, I was delighted to hand over a new Combine Harvester and Power Tillers to the Aveyime Rice Farmers Association in my beloved constituency,” Mr Ablakwa stated on his Facebook page.
“This will be the first time in the association’s history where it will have access to its own dedicated Combine Harvester and Power Tillers which will operate on their rice farms at a special MP subsidised rate, far below market charges.”
He said the intervention would ensure guaranteed profit in addition to helping the farmers harvest rice before Christmas.
“This intervention valued in excess of GHC300,000 will ensure that my beloved rice farmers will not only complete harvesting before Christmas, they would also be guaranteed enhanced profits henceforth,” the lawmaker said.
Mr Ablakwa promised to create more jobs through such initiatives as his contribution towards Ghana’s rice self-sufficiency.
“I shall continue to empower our dynamic hardworking farmers, create more jobs in the process, and contribute our quota towards Ghana’s rice self-sufficiency imperative.”
The legislator called on Ghanaians to support the cause of buying made in Ghana rice.
“You can also support us by deliberately and consistently buying made in Ghana rice.”
Currently, Ghana spends more than $ U.S 600 million on importation of rice annually, a situation that created jobs in other economies and weakens the Cedi.
Mr Ablakwa’s campaign can only be sustained if Ghanaians patronised locally produced rice.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
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