A six hundred thousand euro horticulture project to grow green foliage for export for the production of bouquets has been inaugurated at Ekumfi Suprodo, near Mankessim in the Central Region. Gold Coast Foliage Limited is a joint venture by three Dutch investors, Mr John Hoogenraad, Mr C Zwolsman and Mr E van Egmond. The project, which started production two years ago has employed 126 workers and has so far made two exports to Europe. Mr Timo P Voorn, Managing Director of the Company said about 102 hectares of land had been acquired for the project but only about 10 hectares had so far been developed. Mr Voorn said the company had set up an education endowment fund to help children of the workers to further their education. He said as part of the company's social responsibilities towards the people, it had established a computer-training centre and had offered to pay the salaries of four-day care centre attendants. Mr Voorn appealed to the government to construct a bridge over River Ochie to link Suprodo with Amissano to make movement of workers from the other side of the river easy. "We hope to increase our employees when we step up production", the MD said. Mr Hoogenraad commended Ghanaians for their hospitality and assured the workers that they would reap the fruit of their labour. "Together we grow flowers and together we harvest them", he assure them. Mr George Kuntu Blankson, Member of Parliament for Mfantseman East commended the investors for setting up the project in his constituency to support the government's effort to make the private sector the engine of growth of the economy. He said he had donated 50 bags of cement from the MPs Common Fund to support the computer training centre project and also pledged one computer to augment what the investors had provided. Mr Robert Quainoo-Arthur, Mfantseman District Chief Executive commended the MP for acknowledging government's effort to boost the private sector of the economy. The DCE announced that efforts were being made to construct a bridge to make the area, which had been zoned for development into tourist attraction accessible. He appealed to the investors to sell opportunities in the District to the outside world and assured them of the continued support of the Assembly. Nana Baah IV, Acting President of the Ekumfi Traditional area said he was ready to support investors whose efforts would lead to poverty reduction in his area. Source: GNA