The Irrigation Company of Upper Region (ICOUR) is set to distribute 20,000 kilos of rice seeds and 3,000 bags of fertilizer to about 1,000 farmers under its Happy Project.
This was made known by the Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamugri Atanga at a press soiree to highlight successes of the Mahama administration after a year in office.
The move is aimed at increasing productivity and crop yields, ultimately enhancing food security, according to the minister.
He said the government has already trained 100 young people in rice seed production and entered into a deal with a Chinese company, Lovol to supply farmers with “modern farm equipment”.
“Under the Irrigation Company of Upper Regions (ICOUR), 100 young people have been trained in rice seed production at Tono, while about 1,000 farmers are set to benefit from the distribution of 20,000 kilos of rice seed and 3,000 bags of fertilizer under the HAPPY Project.”
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has also been signed with partners to, among other things, revamp the ICOUR Guest House and Clubhouse and establish a rice processing factory in Navrongo. This, he said, is to “strengthen the agricultural value chain”.
He added “The distribution of the 100 portable water pumps to farmers across the region will undoubtedly enhance irrigation and support all-year-round farming, boosting crop production and strengthening food security across the Region”.
The regional minister said he has, through collaboration with MPs and relevant government agencies, identified 24,475 acres of potential irrigable land in 4 districts to be developed into a commercial farming enclave for all-year-round farming, “with the ultimate objective of unlocking the vast agricultural potential of the Region in line with the Government’s 24-Hour Economy Policy”.
He indicated that the region made strong gains in expanding production capacity and production of key crops. These gains, he said, were driven by good rainfall and government interventions, including the Feed Ghana Programme, which oversaw an increase in coverage from 8,221 to 10,314 farmers and distribution of 19,000 bags of fertilizer.
The government also extended support to 14 senior high schools to boost school farms.
