The Builsa South District through the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) and the Savannah Zone Agricultural Productivity Improvement Project (SAPIP) has been earmarked to benefit from over 370 acres of rice valley expansion in Yerinsa, Gbedemblisi and Uwasi communities.
The project, according to National Project Coordinator of SAPIP, Felix N. Darimani is under a Government of Ghana program which is supported by AfDB to assist farmers, especially rice Farmers in the district to increase their capacity.
This programme is to complement the effort of the Planting for Food and Jobs programme. The SAPIP has already supported the Planting for Food and Jobs programme with improved seeds of maize, rice, soya beans.
The Project Coordinator at one of the community sensitization fora added that the idea is to utilize every available resource to increase food production in Ghana.
According to Mr. Darimani to ensure an effective execution of the project, government is looking at improving the state of farm roads and provision of warehouses. He was not happy that a total of over 400 million dollars is spent annually to import rice and hopes that this amount will reduce very soon if farmers invest more into the business to meet the local market demand.
The Builsa South District Chief Executive, Daniel Kwame Gariba in an address at a community sensitization forum called on members of the beneficiary communities as well as other residents in the district to take advantage of the project to increase their cultivation capacity, to generate more income after harvest.
According to him, the expansion of the valleys is a step in the right direction, considering the fact that the Builsa South District has good potentials when it comes to farming rice.
Madam Abra Adom from the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority was very happy with the turnouts at the various community sensitizations and encouraged the beneficiary communities, especially women, to take full advantage of the opportunities the project will come with.
Source: A1radioonline.com | 101.1MHz | Ghana
