Asutsuare (G/R), Jan. 22, GNA – Hon. Eric Opoku, Minister of Food and Agriculture, has assured farmers and contractors of the Kpong Irrigation Scheme of government’s commitment to resume suspended works on the rehabilitation and modernisation of the scheme within the shortest possible time.

The Minister gave the assurance on Thursday during a working visit to the project sites at Asutsuare in the Greater Accra Region to acquaint himself with the progress of work and challenges affecting the project.  He noted that such direct supervision was critical for accountability and value for money in major public investments.

“I have received about four certificates asking for payments and I have forwarded them to the Ministry of Finance for immediate action within the shortest possible time, payment will be effected, and the work will resume on site,” Mr Opoku said.

The Kpong Irrigation Scheme Rehabilitation and Modernisation Project, under the World Bank-funded Food System Resilience Project (FSRP), covers a total scheme area of 4,040 hectares. The 22.5-million-dollar project, which commenced in November 2024, is currently about 75 per cent complete but has been suspended due to financial constraints.

Hon. Opoku said irrigation development was central to government’s Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda and the Feed Ghana Programme, which seeks to transition Ghana from rain-fed to all year-round irrigation agriculture.
“Kpong happens to be the biggest irrigation infrastructure in Ghana, and equally worthy of our attention ,” he noted, adding that government would do everything possible to ensure the timely completion of the project.

He also announced the approval of Farmer Service Centres for the Left and Right Banks of the Kpong Scheme to support smallholder farmers with access to machinery, inputs, training and modern technologies, including precision agriculture tools.

Addressing the minister and his retinue, Mr Kofi Modzaka, Technical Supervising Consultant for the FSRP under the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA), said the current phase of the project was a continuation of works initiated under the Ghana Commercial Agriculture Project (GCAP), completed in 2021.

He explained that the rehabilitation involved extensive civil works, including the conversion of open canals into closed pipe systems, canal lining, road rehabilitation, drainage works and the installation of automation and instrumentation systems.

Mr Modzaka said, the conversion of about 62 kilometres of open channels into closed pipe systems under the FSRP was about 96 per cent complete, while the rehabilitation of main routes was about 65 per cent complete.

Automation and instrumentation works stood at about 30 per cent, with equipment yet to be transported into the country, he added.

“When all these are put together, overall completion is about 75 per cent. We are left with 25 per cent to complete the project,” Mr Modzaka said, noting that the full rehabilitation would improve water-use efficiency, increase agricultural production, enhance farmers’ incomes and reduce potential conflicts.

On behalf of farmers, Mr Charles Tetteh Hombey, President of the Kpong Irrigation Scheme Water Users Association, applauded the minister for visiting. However, he expressed concern over market access for rice produced under the scheme.

“We produce, but we can’t sell. That is our major issue,” he said, appealing for the allocation of aggregators and off-takers to purchase farmers’ rice, especially as some farmers had defaulted on loans due to unsold produce.

He also expressed anxiety over the suspension of works, warning that prolonged delays could adversely affect livelihoods in the area.
Hon. Eric Opoku in his response, said, government, through the National Food Buffer Stock Company, was working to address the glut challenges, particularly by engaging millers and aggregators to mop up excess rice, to sustain farmer confidence and production.

The Minister reaffirmed government’s support for farmers, stressing that functional irrigation systems were critical to national food security, especially in the face of climate variability.

“This year, we have budgetary allocation to begin implementation in the 70 selected districts. These centres will ensure farmers have unimpeded access to modern equipment, tailored inputs and technical training,” he said.   

   ACCESS TO MARKET

On access to markets, Hon. Opoku acknowledged that lack of reliable markets had discouraged production despite increased output by farmers. He announced that resources had been released to the National Food Buffer Stock Company to intervene in the market, particularly for rice, through partnerships with millers and aggregators who would procure paddy, mill it and supply the buffer stock.

  EXCAVATOR AND ROAD NETWORKS.

He further pledged to provide an excavator to support operations at the scheme and announced that the Kpong road network would be included in government’s plan to rehabilitate 1,000 kilometres of agricultural roads nationwide to ease the movement of produce from farms to markets.