The Dawhenya Irrigation Scheme which houses some abandoned greenhouses for years has been estimated to produce 4,500 tonnes of vegetables, generating about $1.9 million annually when it becomes operational.
Paying a working visit to the site with other stakeholders, the Minister for Food and Agriculture , Eric Opoku and his Deputy, John Dumelo visited the enclave to assess the level of agricultural development projects ongoing, and how best the ministry can improve the space to boost food production and encourage farming among the youth in the country.
In a pursuit to provide strategic value and also to keep it in operation, the Dawhenya Irrigation Scheme has gone through a number of partnership and interventions which has succeeded in introducing some projects that have gone ahead to provide value to the Scheme.
Key amongst them has been the South Korean government who has been very instrumental in providing funds for the Rural Development Administration,(RDA) through Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) who has done some rehabilitation. Other private Organizations like Ghana Flowers Greens have worked very hard to increase the value of the site by investing strategically.
The Director, Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture (KOPIA)
Ghana Center, Dr. Choong-Hoe KIM led the tour, taking the entourage to the development of a 100 hectares irrigation facility which is ongoing, night storage reservoir, a 3000 capacity warehouse for the storage of certified seed produced at the irrigation scheme, the Ghana Flowers Greens, the rice fields which covered most of the area, some abandoned greenhouses and a training school for students interested in venturing into agriculture.
Speaking exclusively to The Ghanaian Farmer TV, the Minister, Eric Opoku bemoaned the state of some key facilities in the area and pledged government’s commitment to keep the place up and running in the coming weeks.
“I am really impressed with how far work has progressed here, but there is more to be done. The training centre, as well as the greenhouses will have to be in operation as soon as possible. Seeing this firsthand, I will ensure that, it is kept in a good condition for the benefit of all of us”, he stated.
Minister Opoku also expressed his appreciation to the KOPIA Ghana Center for its marvellous work in ensuring that, the rice fields are protected, whilst enhancing production of the local Ghanaian rice to meet consumer demands.
The Dawhenya Irrigation Scheme is located in Dawhenya in the Ningo Prampram District of the Greater Accra Region. The Scheme covers an area of about 2800 hectares but only 285 hectares is cultivated, which also contains West Africa’s Largest Greenhouse.
Established by Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the Dawhenya Irrigation Scheme is primarily known for its rice production which is one of the main reasons the Irrigation scheme was instituted. Rice farms cover a very large area and the irrigation tunnels can be observed as well as farmers busily working on the crops.
The Minister, together with his Deputy called on young people and agric enthusiasts to take advantage of the government’s agricultural interventions which include the “nkoko nketenkete”project, the AgriNext Programme, which aims to facilitate access to land banks for young farmers, connect graduates with opportunities in the agricultural value chain, and promote greenhouse farming among the youth, to increase food security and contribute to the overall economic growth of Ghana.
Reporting by Stephen Freeman, Dawhenya, Accra.
