Residents of Obidan, a farming community in the Ekumfi District of the Central Region is appealing to the government to help revamp the salt production that has been abandoned for years to create more jobs for the youths.
They also called for the rehabilitation of the multipurpose storage facility constructed early around 2002 but since been abandoned and taken over by weed and reptiles.
According to the residents, the community is poised of agricultural and salt mining potentials that could be harnessed due to the vast river and sea water around the places.
They said some foreigners in 2003 established the facility for a project and in 2008 when the project came to an end, the storage facility was left to the mercy of the weather until taken over by the weeds and reptiles.
They alleged that the exit of the Kufuor administration in in 2008 led to the collapse of the project.
A visit to the sites saw the buildings taken over by weeds while the platforms and the waterbodies also taken over by weeds.
The farmers they said had to travel miles to the Mankessim town to sell their products which is far from the communities and poor road network that compel middle men to purchase the farm produce at cheap prices.
Though there are vehicles that ply on the stretch, the road network continues to be a problem to the indigenes who continue to hale the dust created by the vehicles and that the construction of the road would help relief of the stress they added.
When the salt mining was available, most of the youth were engaged in it due to market for the products but the exit of the foreigner led to the collapse of the sector and therefore pray to government to if possible liaised with the private sector to revamp the sector” they said.
Currently, some farmers in the area aside the lack of the storage facility and poor road network complained of lack of input devices and machines for irrigation purposes to engage in year-round agricultural production.
John Eduah from Tema said, he started cultivating three acres of vegetable in the area after surveying the land to be good for agricultural production due to the moisture of the soil.
“I visited some friends and seeing the nature of the soil encouraged me to venture into the vegetable production to enable me earn some source of livelihoods” he said.
He noted that farming is one of the vibrant activities of the youth and the women in the area but due to financial constraint and input devises, most of the youths have migrated to the town and the city to search for greener pasture.
According to Mr. Kwesi Attah, the salt mining business was very good in the area and some few persons still engage in it but the storage facility has been a problem as well the means to transport to the market to sell in order to generate some revenue to invest into the production and also for family upkeep.
He is therefore appealing to philanthropist groups and individuals to support to revamp the salt mining production as well the rehabilitation of the storage facility.
