Irrigation infrastructure being undertaken in the North District on behalf of Ghana Commercial Agriculture Project is progressing steadily and almost 60% complete.
Speaking to the press on a field trip to the site on 7 March, Project Coordinator Osei Owusu-Agyeman indicated that the scheme will afford about one thousand farmers the opportunity to cultivate rice, maize and vegetables two times in a year using an automated water source.
The project, with $34 million loan funding from the World Bank, already had an existing 450 hectare and currently being expanded to 2000 hectare of land area coverage.
Joy Business can report that as of the time of visit, the consultant fixing the automated irrigation system was on site with other contractors busily working to meet the commencement timeline of March ending.
“This project fits into government’s ‘planting for food and jobs flagship initiative. We would rollout the scheme in bits as and when a particular field is complete” he told journalists.
The Kpong Left Bank Irrigation Project is one of three projects across the country. It takes its water source from the Volta River into a primary channel source for further distribution into secondary, tertiary tributaries and finally into farms upon request by farmers while charge on calibrated volumes used.
The completion of the irrigation scheme will imply farmers will no longer rely on rainfall for their agricultural activities. This provides a better climate change adaption given the global uncertainties in rainfall pattern.
Source: myjoyonline.com
