Velvet tamarind locally known as ‘Atitoe’, sweet potato and rice productions are the major investment potentials in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta region.
The velvet tamarind is unique to the Municipality and its fruits are produced once a year and due for harvest in January to February.
Mr Daniel Ankrah, Akatsi South Municipal Planning Officer, during the sixth Volta Trade and Investment Fair in Ho, said the market for the velvet tamarind extended to neighboring countries like Burkina Faso, Togo, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire and useful in the production of beverages.
He said the production of sweet potatoes was estimated to be above 90,000 metric tons which fitted well into the savanna rainfall pattern and contributed to food security.
Mr Ankrah said the land supported production of Orange Fresh Sweet Potatoes (OFSP) during the seasons adding that the OFSP was rich in vitamin A and an optimal food choice for pregnant and lactating women and for women with children under two years of age.
He s
aid it also helped to prevent stunting and malnutrition among both children and adults providing a cost-effective local solution for malnutrition.
‘This crop is mainly exported to neighboring countries and has many industrial uses.’
Mr Ankrah said rice production was an emerging crop in the Municipal which was the fifth largest producer of rice in the region.
He said the annual yield had improved steadily averaging five per cent on annual basis from 2017 to 2022 while the total production peaked at 1,037 metric tons in 2022.
Mr Ankrah said there were large hectares of land available especially at Atsiekpi, Wute, Adeheta that supported the production of rice.
He noted that there were enormous opportunities in the new venture along the value chain which had potential to generate both direct and indirect employment.
Mr Ankrah said the opportunities existed in drying platforms that farmers could use to dry their harvested rice, milling centres where dried paddy rice could be processed, polished, and bagged,
and warehouse to store the harvested rice for safe keeping.
He said the Municipal had one of the most enviable road networks in the south and its location positioned it as a favorable and easily accessible District.
Mr Ankrah said Akatsi could boast of the largest market in the Volta region attracting persons from all over to engage in both intra and inter trading within the area.
He said the caterpillarga dam at 235 x 180 metres had an enormous potential for aquaculture activities in the Municipality which could create many jobs for the youth and called on investors to explore.
Mr Ankrah said the district had the Avu Lagoon around Xavi which served as home for migratory birds and a lot of other species of birds and the endangered antelope species (The Sitatunga).
He said despite it not being fully developed; many tourists visited the location to experience the undiluted ‘feel of mother nature’.
‘All investors are welcome to Akatsi South to aid in the redevelopment of this centre. Akatsi is endowed with
vast arable land which could be used for commercial farming purposes’.
Mr Ankrah said Akatsi South was also endowed with large potentials of clay deposits to would-be investors in the Brick and Tile Industry to create jobs in the communities.
Source: Ghana News Agency