The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) under the Second Phase of the Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy (FASDEP II) and the Medium Term Sector Plan for 2009-2015, has put irrigation development in its rightful place to play a key role in achieving reduction of rural poverty and overall equitable economic development.
It is expected, under the FASDEP II and the Medium Term Sector Development Plan (MTSDP) that the productivity of irrigation schemes will increase by an average figure of 25% by the end of 2015.
The sector Minister, Kwesi Ahwoi said this Accra when interacting with the management of Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA).
He indicated that this target will be achieved through judicious use of irrigation lands in both the formal and informal sub-sectors.
According to him there are areas in the country that need to be brought under irrigation due to suitable physical environment such as inland valleys, swamps and water sheds. He noted that the country is endowed with abundant surface water resources.
Under the Ministry’s MTSDP, which is geared towards the achievement of the set target of having about 50,000 hectares of land under irrigation by the year 2015, Ahwoi said that Government will ensure the completion of all on-going projects on schedule for use by the beneficiaries.
These he said include the Small Scale Irrigation Development Project (SSIDP) and the Small Farms Irrigation Project (SFIP). “These two projects will make an additional area of over 1,800 hectares available for irrigation,” said Ahwoi.
Also include the completion of second phase of the rehabilitation of the Tono Irrigation Project; the completion of studies and rehabilitation of 850 hectares of the Vea Irrigation Project; and completion of the rehabilitation and modernization of nine existing irrigation schemes to ensure that the farmers use the facilities for the coming season.
The Minister noted that the completion of the on-going rehabilitation of 70 breached dams in the three northern regions will put an area of over 360 hectares under irrigation. “It is expected that the rehabilitation of these dams will be completed in good time to enable them conserve water during this year’s rains in these regions. In the rehabilitation process all the water conservation dams will be converted to irrigation dams and this will bring more lands under irrigation,” he added.
By Fred SARPONG
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