Equipment for dry season farming in northern Ghana inaugurated

The Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), has inaugurated 150 water pumps, pipelines and accessories meant for irrigated dry season farming in the Northern, Upper East, Upper West and Brong Ahafo regions.

Mr. Yaw Effah-Baafi, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, in-charge of Crops, who inaugurated the project at Pwalugu in the Upper East Region said five districts in the Brong Region are listed to benefit.

He said the beneficiary areas were adversely affected by poor climatic factors including poor rains and soils that was hindering agricultural production thereby rendering the people poor.

Mr. Effah-Baafi said government was committed to modernising agriculture especially through the promotion of irrigation, provide incentive packages, equipment, capital and technical services to farmers to make agriculture a profitable business that would attract the youth.

He explained that the NRGP was put in place to improve the situation by promoting agribusiness and increasing rural incomes.

He said the funds were being sourced from the African Development Bank (AFDB) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), to finance the programme.

Mr. Effah-Baafi said the AFDB financing component was used to improve rural infrastructure such as roads, bridge, dams, irrigation equipment and warehouses while the IFAD money took care of agriculture production and marketing support.

The farmers are expected to pay 10 per cent of the cost, which is GH¢8,750 per pump, which attracts a subsidy by 40 per cent, whilst the rest of the 50 per cent would be given as loan to be paid for a three- year period.

Each pump can irrigate up to six hectares. The total cost of the 150 pumps and installation is GH¢1.3 million.

“With the pumps, two crops can be grown in the long dry season. Farmers harvest tomatoes and onions by January-March and plant maize as a follow up crop to be harvested before the onset of rains”, The Deputy Minister observed.

Mr. Roy Ayariga, Project Co-ordinator, NRGP, said due to perennial low prices of agricultural products, the programme had adopted the Value Chain Approach where producers and marketers are linked in mutually beneficial business relationships.

This facilitates the marketing of particular commodities ahead of production.

Mr. Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister  said the region  had embarked on a green revolution, dry season  cultivation of maize and other crops, that is fast improving production rate and has eliminated the annual hunger period amongst families with access to irrigation facilities.

“It was unusual to find fresh maize in the dry season but as you go round, you will be treated to fresh maize even at this time of the year and there is continuous supply until the next harvest”, he noted.

Mr. Woyongo observed that rain- fed agriculture has become risky due to unreliable climatic changes and called for the expansion of irrigable facilities and support for small ruminant and guinea fowl production.

Source: GNA

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