The Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Alex Mould, has raised concerns over the widespread neglect of agricultural infrastructure across the country’s Middle Belt, warning that years of under-maintenance have left critical assets underutilised.

His remarks follow a seven-day field assessment tour across the Ashanti, Bono, Ahafo and Bono East Regions, where a MiDA team evaluated water resources, irrigation potential, agricultural value chains and institutional coordination mechanisms to identify priority areas for investment.

The team engaged traditional authorities, regional and district officials and private agribusiness operators, while also undertaking technical inspections of irrigation schemes, dams, inland valleys, markets and agro-processing facilities.

Mould said the tour revealed significant lapses in the maintenance of irrigation infrastructure, resulting in the deterioration of assets that had previously attracted substantial investment.

“Across the farming areas we visited, it is evident that we have a number of wasted assets. While considerable investments have been made over the years, there has been inadequate attention to operations and maintenance,” he said.

At the Subinja irrigation site, located in the Tano North South Municipal Districts, the team observed extensive vandalism and the loss of key installations.

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According to Mould, critical equipment, including pumps and an electricity transformer, had been removed, rendering the facility non-operational.

He noted that restoring such infrastructure would require a comprehensive feasibility assessment and coordinated action involving the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

“To rehabilitate the dam and associated infrastructure, there is a need for a detailed technical assessment to guide the restoration of equipment, irrigation canals, pumping and piping systems, as well as the reconnection of power supply,” he said.

Mould also highlighted significant untapped irrigation potential in rice-growing areas, particularly within the Tano North and South Municipal Districts, where existing capacity remains largely underutilised.

“We visited a rice irrigation scheme with the capacity to cultivate about 1,000 acres, yet only approximately 300 acres are currently under production,” he disclosed.

He attributed the shortfall partly to incomplete infrastructure, noting that a dam initiated in 2008 had not been fully developed, thereby constraining the scheme’s effectiveness.

According to him, completing the dam and constructing a concrete canal distribution system could enable year-round irrigation, allowing farmers to cultivate the full acreage and harvest at least two crop cycles annually.

“If reliable water supply is ensured alongside improved agronomic practices, output could rise from about 1,000 tonnes of paddy rice annually to between 6,000 and 7,000 tonnes,” he said.

Mould described such locations as “brownfield opportunities”, where existing but underperforming infrastructure can be rehabilitated to rapidly scale up agricultural production through targeted engineering and water management interventions.

He added that increased output could support the development of downstream agro-processing facilities, including rice mills, thereby strengthening agribusiness value chains and reducing Ghana’s dependence on imported food commodities.

The MiDA CEO stressed the need for coordinated investment and stronger institutional collaboration to unlock the full potential of these assets and drive sustainable agricultural growth.