The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has announced plans to deploy heavy-duty equipment acquired under the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) to commence the construction of farm access roads across the country.
According to the Minister, every district will be supplied with fuel to ensure that the DRIP machinery is put to its intended use — enhancing connectivity between farmlands and nearby communities.
Speaking to journalists in Kumasi on Sunday, 15th June, Mr. Opoku revealed that the government will temporarily suspend major road construction projects in rural areas to allow for the full utilisation of the DRIP equipment.
“What we intend to do is to provide all districts with the financial resources to fuel the machines and use the available equipment to develop access roads. This will make it easier to transport food from farms to communities without any difficulty,” he stated.
Mr. Opoku also disclosed that some officials had begun processes to award new contracts for roadworks in rural communities, but said he had intervened to halt the move.
“Just last week, some people were preparing to award contracts for the construction of roads in some rural communities. I asked them to stop because we already have the equipment. All we need to do is provide them with fuel and let them go to work,” he explained.