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Youth urged to venture into aquaculture business

The Municipal Chief Executive for Ga Central Municipal Assembly (GaMA), Mr Bashiru Kamara Mohammed, has urged the youth in the municipality to take advantage of the government’s flagship agricultural programmes, such as planting for food and jobs and venture into aquaculture business preferably catfish rearing.

He said catfish rearing was one of the surest ways of overcoming the unemployment challenge in the area since it was lucrative and had a ready market.

Speaking during a media interaction to showcase his catfish farm to retailers at Sowutuom on Monday,   he said it was obvious catfish rearing had ready market for producers.

Mr Mohammed said the assembly through a programme dubbed:  “transforming lives through modern agriculture” was embarking on a transformation drive to turn the municipality into a catfish rearing enclave.

The MCE said though the municipality did not have water bodies such as rivers and lagoons, it was using innovative modern methods such as containers, ponds, tarpaulins and  others to achieve the intended objective.

According to him, “I got inspired to personally undertake the catfish rearing business after I witnessed the brisk patronage of the fish at the previous Farmer’s Day celebration.”

He said he had introduced the catfish rearing business to most communities in the area, adding that the assembly was embarking on constructing 30 community ponds to start with at different locations in the municipality.

According to him, plans were far advanced to train and support 3000 youths in the enterprise who would receive technical start-up support.

The MCE said through his regular interaction and engagement with the citizens, it was evident most youths had expressed interest in the venture.

“There was little basis for the youth to remain unemployed with the wide scope of programmes under government’s flagship programmes,” he said.

On his part, the Municipal Agricultural Extension Officer, Mr Francis Ato Kwamina Mensah, said catfish rearing business provides employment opportunities for a good number of people in the value chain.

He said in six months at least, with the appropriate cultural practices, the fishes would be ready for sale.

Mr Mensah said once the youth expressed interest, the agricultural department of the assembly was ready to provide the training, digging of the pond and stocking of the fingerlings for the individual to takeoff, adding that all that the beneficiary was to do was to buy the feeding which was affordable.

The Municipal Agric Extension Officer said the doors of the Agricultural Department of the assembly was opened to all, adding that 30 people who approached the assembly were benefitting from the programme.

Mr Mensah advised the youth to also take advantage of other programmes in agriculture such as the rearing of rabbit, snail and mushroom.

He disclosed that the department was not able to meet the current market demand for catfish and that there was more room to operate.

BY NORMAN COOPER

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