GCAP rehabilitates the nation's major irrigation dams

The Ghana Commercial Agricultural Project (GCAP) is rehabilitating the country’s irrigation facilities to provide farmers access to ready water for crop and livestock production.

Mr Osei Owusu-Agyemang, the National Coordinator of the project, who announced this, said the rehabilitation of the Tono, Kpong and Kpong left Bank irrigations facilities would improve farmers’ access to reliable water all year long to enhance food production and to guarantee national food security.

Mr Owusu-Agyemang said the Kpong irrigation scheme covered 2,000 hectares, Tono 2,490 hectares and Kpong left bank 1,800 hectares.

He said the rehabilitation works would be completed by 2021.

The GCAP is a government’s initiative focused on improving agricultural productivity and production and being implemented in selected districts of the country.

It is geared towards strengthening investments and promoting infrastructure by supporting the development of a national strategy for engaging and managing agricultural investment, improved access to land, reliable water, inclusive commercial farming.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Techiman in the Bono East Region, Mr Owusu-Agyemang noted with irrigation facilities farming would be made attractive to drive the teeming unemployed youth into the venture.

Mr Owusu-Agyemang noted the key to agro production was the availability of raw materials hence the need for the nation to rehabilitate and build more irrigation facilities to motivate farmers to go into commercial farm production.

He said more than 8,000 farmers were already benefiting from the project, which was being funded by the World Bank since 2014 to improve rice production and mitigate climate change.

The project is also funding and strengthening the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) and the Irrigation Company of Upper Region (ICOUR).