Maprik puts K500,000 in agriculture

By DALE LUMA
MAPRIK MP John Simon says his district will be committing K500,000 from the agriculture stimulus funding captured under the districts economic stimulus package for price stablisation to support commodities such as cocoa.
In an interview with The National, Simon, who is also the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, said the programne would be launched this week which would see the money given to the district’s 24 economic zones which would serve as buying points for cocoa wet beans.
He said this would see the economic zones buying cocoa beans from farmers at K3/kg.
Simon said another K500,000 would be used to purchase farming equipment.
“The K500,000 which has been allocated for price support means the cocoa price as it is right now roughly K1.50 for wet beans will be K3 per kilo,” he said.
“Maprik has already created economic zones.
“Those economic zones will be the buying points.
“The whole idea is we are trying to encourage our people in the villages to go back into agriculture.”