The government will take delivery of 110 tractors this month, to complement the ones already at the various agricultural mechanisation centres.

Vice President John Mahama, who announced this, therefore, urged farmers to form co-operatives so as to benefit from a 30 per cent subsidy under the mechanisation scheme, under which tractors would be sold to farmers on hire-purchase to increase their output.

“I urge you to apply through your District Directors of Agriculture to take advantage of the scheme to mechanise your farms, “he said, and urged individual farmers who might not be able to purchase the tractors to form co-operatives to benefit.

Addressing a grand durbar of the chiefs and people of Akrofu in the Volta Region, to climax the celebration of the SASADU festival last Saturday, Vice-President Mahama reiterated the government’s determination to use agriculture as the cornerstone to spur the country’s socio-economic development.

He said, the government had established a food buffer stock facility with an amount of GH¢50 million and encouraged the farmers to step up their activities in rice and other cereal production, to enable the country to attain self-sufficiency in food and become a net-exporter to neighbouring countries.

The name of the festival, an acronym for Sovie, Alavanyo, Saviefe, Akrofu Development Union, (SASADU) is a symbol of peace and unity among the four areas, who trace their origin to the same traditional ancestral sources.

The festival aims at fostering socio-cultural progress, encourage educational and self-help activities and co-operation, relating to the welfare and development of the four traditional areas.

Vice-President Mahama noted that the Akrofu and its environs were prime areas for agricultural activities and stressed the need for the youth to take to rice and vegetable farming on a large scale for the local and the international market.

He said, the formation of community unions were essential since development was a shared responsibility and commended SASADU for their initiative, urging them to partner the DISEC and REGSEC in addressing land and chieftaincy disputes in the region.

Mr. Mahama assured Voltarians that the Mills administration would fulfil its promises captured in the region, saying that plans for the establishment of a public university, the construction of the Eastern Corridor road and other infrastructural projects were on course.

In the wake of the recent floods which rendered thousands homeless and destroyed property, he appealed to those who live along the catchment area of the Volta grounds which had been demarcated by the VRA.

Mr. Joseph Amenowode, Volta Regional Minister, asked the SASADU Council to endeavour to resolve all chieftaincy disputes that were creating divisions in some parts of the SASA areas.

He also called on Voltarians to eschew divisive tendencies including chieftaincy and land disputes. William Segbedeku, General Secretary of SASADU, said that the Union arbitration committee is to ensure peaceful co-existence of the people of the four traditional areas.