Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, says government is expanding irrigation infrastructure nationwide to boost vegetable production and ensure steady supply for the local market.
Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, he revealed that several solar-powered boreholes are being constructed to support vegetable growers, especially in Gyenegyene.
“We are doing some of the solar-powered boreholes for the vegetable farmers in Gyenegyene, and by the end of this month, I will show Ghanaians the irrigation works currently ongoing,” he said.
According to him, one major irrigation project is underway in the Northern Region, where government is constructing 88 solar-powered boreholes.
Out of the number, 23 have already been allocated to schools in the region based on their land capacity for production.
He added that his ministry has taken full inventory of all irrigation facilities across the country based on a directive from President Mahama.
“Ghana has 1.9 million hectares of irrigable land, and out of that, only 229,000 hectares currently have irrigation. That is why we immediately moved a contractor to Ashaiman to fix the irrigation system there,” he noted.
Mr. Opoku explained that Ashaiman is one of the biggest onion-producing areas in the country, attracting buyers from neighbouring countries.
He said the contractor working on the Ashaiman irrigation system is almost done.
He added that government is repairing old and faulty irrigation infrastructure while constructing new ones to increase coverage.
Touching on tomato production, the minister said the greenhouse facility at Dawhenya had 100 units, but none were functioning for a long time.
Although a school was established under the project, it also became inactive.
“We later handed the facility to a private operator, and now the school is functioning and working with the Dawhenya systems,” he said.
He added that the tomatoes produced there are now supplied to some embassies and hotels.
Government plans to scale up the tomato variety being cultivated so farmers can produce in larger quantities to supply shopping malls.
“When we met with the malls, they told us their main concern is sustainability. That is why our government has started these irrigation projects to ensure consistent production,” he explained.
Mr. Opoku assured that the solar-powered irrigation systems will be completed in the next three to four months.
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