The Agricultural Development Bank is to open a branch at Tumu in Upper West to support cotton farmers and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture programmes, Alhaji Ibrahim Adam, Board Chairman of the Bank has announced. He said erratic financing of the cotton industry, coupled with lawlessness and indiscipline had been the bane of cotton farming in the country. Alhaji Adam made this known at a farmers' durbar in Tumu to launch the Cotton "White Gold" campaign in the North West Zone of the Upper West Region on Saturday. He said the bank would make sure that the right things were done to sustain cotton production in the area. Alhaji Issahaque Salia, Upper West Regional Minister, in his welcoming address, said during the good days of cotton production, it helped provided already employment for the youth in the north. He said the downturn in its operations had affected the general well-being of farmers and workers. Many workers were laid-off and many people also deserted the communities during the sad days of cotton production in the north and therefore, revamping the cotton industry in the north and encouraging farmers to grow the crop in the 2011 crop season was welcoming news, Alhaji Salia said. He said farmers in the Sissala East and Sissala West Districts were good cotton farmers and appealed to them to take up the challenge to produce more cotton to feed the textile industry and as well better their economies and livelihoods. Alhaji Salia appealed to Olam Ghana Limited to make available tractor service and farm inputs such as fertilizers at the appropriate time for farmers to expand their acres. "The safer net is to synchronize activities properly to make the best out of the unfavourable weather conditions, while efforts were made to provide irrigation facilities to modernise the industry", he advised. The Gwollu Kuoro, Buktie Limann, Paramount Chief of the Gwollu Traditional Area, in a statement, said the cotton industry failed because cotton companies had always protected only their interest to the neglect of farmers. "Cotton collapsed because cotton companies were the only beneficiaries while they left out farmers in poverty. They also brought in high toxic chemicals, which long effects had impoverished the lands and with no alternative services for farmers to make ends meet", Kuoro Limann noted. Kuoro Limann, therefore, appealed to Olam Ghana Limited to provide potable water irrigation facilities, school blocks and feeder roads to farmers in the area, as part of its corporate social responsibilities to the people. He also appealed to Olam Ghana to establish oil extraction factory to utilise the cotton seed for oil and animal feed for the farmers. "Olam Ghana should diversify its operations to cover the Sheanut industry, which also has the potential of promoting the livelihoods of the people", the Gwollu Kuoro added. Mr Mritunjay Das, Business Head of Olam Ghana, assured farmers that the company would improve cotton production in the area through the provision of cotton seeds and the supply of farm inputs to enhance yields. Improving the livelihoods of farmers through other alternatives had been the focus of Olam Ghana, Mr Das said, and noted that the company would provide tractor services at the appropriate time for early preparation of new cotton fields and also ensure transparency in all its operations. Mr Das said Olam would pre-finance best cotton farmers and provide schools and dams as part of its social commitment to the farmers and would as well encourage the farmers to engage in other alternatives such as sheanuts production. Source: GNA