Use organic food items, MCE urges hotel and restaurant operators

17th Dec 2019 | Source: GNA

Mr Obeng inspecting some of the raw farm produce and processed items

Mr Martin Obeng, the Sunyani West Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has called on hotel and restaurant operators to procure organic food items and products to prepare healthier meals for their clients.

He said there is the need for them "to think quality food for quality health first" because the public is concerned about their health and safety and cautious with the food and drinks they consume.

Mr Obeng said this at a market fair jointly organised by the Assembly and ActionAid Ghana under the Sustainable Livelihood and Transparent Local Authority (SLATLA) Project at Odomase in the Bono Region.

The three-year project being implemented by the ActionAid in partnership with the Assembly is being funded by the European (EU) to promote environmental sustainable livelihoods and decent work for women groups, youth and persons with disabilities in the Municipality.

The project beneficiaries, especially farmers showcased their organically-grown farm produce while others in processing businesses also displayed their processed farm produce at the forecourt of the Assembly for the general public to witness the achievements of the SLATLA Project.

Mr Obeng said the procurement of the farmers' stuffs by the hotels and food industry operators would provide ready market for the farmers to create wealth and sustainable livelihoods for them.

He appealed to Ghanaians to patronise made in Ghana goods to encourage farmers to produce more to expand their farming businesses for the growth of their local economies.

Mr Obeng also urged farmers to always seek the services of agricultural extension agents in their communities to gain the needed knowledge to effectively apply modern agronomic practices.

Mr Binado Tontie, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Programme Manager of Action Aid Ghana, advised the beneficiaries of the project to make effective use of the training by religiously practicing organic farming and packaging their products very well for export.

Mr Kofi Vinyo, an organic farmer and the Chief Executive Officer of Kofi Vinyo Company Limited, an agro-processing company at Kwatire in the Municipality, thanked the organizers for the fair and expressed the hope that it would encourage the unemployed youth to take farming as their businesses.