Ghana, Korea partner to boost rice production
Ghana has partnered with Korea to commence a rice seed cultivation complex at Dawhenya in the Greater Accra Region to boost the country’s rice production.
This followed the signing of a US$ 7million grant agreement in May 2023, between the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs of Korea, and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).
It is under the K-Ricebelt project, which seeks to establish a rice seed cultivation complex in 10 African countries. These countries are Ghana, Senegal, Guinea, Gambia, Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, Guinea-Bissau, Cote d’Ivoire, and Sierra Leone, with Ghana’s project serving as the lead.
The Korea Rural Community Corporation and the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) are the administrative implementation bodies for the project, which is expected to produce high-yielding rice seeds, for onward supply to farmers.
At a groundbreaking ceremony held last week Friday, the Korean Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Park Kyongsig, said the project was aimed at contributing to achieving zero hunger in Africa, through rice seed production in these countries, to boost their local rice capacity.
He said, the Korean government had over the years supported the Government of Ghana, through some initiatives and programmes such as modern technological tools to increase their farm production.
Mr Kyongsig said he was hopeful the project would achieve its purpose since most of the farmers who had already received the rice seedlings were witnessing increases in the harvesting of their rice.
The Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in-charge of Crops (MoFA), Mr Yaw Frimpong Addo, noted that the Ministry through the K-Ricebelt initiative, led by the Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture (KOPIA), handed over 330 tonnes of high-yielding rice seed to the ministry.
He explained that MoFA had already distributed the seedlings to farmers to boost food security in the country, to complement the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative, which aims at promoting agriculture as a key driver of economic growth and improve food security in the country.
The chairman of the Water Users Association of Dawhenya Irrigation Scheme, Mr Richard Marty Afleh, thanked the Korean government for the renovation works done on the Dawhenya Irrigation.
He noted that the recent replacement of the old pipes had helped the farmers to constantly pump water to their farmlands, which had witnessed a boost in their produce.
Present at the ceremony were the Chief Director of MoFA, Mr Paul Siameh; Mr Solomon Gyan Ansah, Directorate of Crop Services (MoFA); the Acting Chief Executive of the GIDA, Mr Richard Oppong-Boateng; and two directors from the GIDA, Mr Eric Samuel Adu-Dankwa and Mr Philemon Yankson.
Others were the KOICA Director, Mr Lee, Dong Hyun, Director of Korea EXIM Bank, Mr Kim Young Jin.
FROM BERNARD BENGHAN, DAWHENYA
