By Prince Opoku Dogbey
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has supported Ghana with a number of agricultural equipment to increase the production of rice in the Central Region. This gesture forms part of a $8 million agreement signed between South Korea and Ghana in the pursuit of improving capacity and rice seed development, provision of agricultural machinery, and the construction of a rice milling plant and agricultural equipment storage facility.
The agricultural equipment donated by the agency included two tractors and accessories, a laser land leveler, a seed drill, 18 power tillers and accessories, two transplanters, 10 rice threshers, and a combine harvester.
In addition to the equipment presented were; 10 rice reaper binder combine harvesters, 18 rice winnowers, 16 knapsack sprayers, and 18-grain moisture meters.
The Gomoa East, Assin Fosu, Assin North, Assin South and Twifo Atti-Mokwa districts benefitted from the project.
The Senior Deputy Director of KOICA, Mr. Seungmin Oh indicated that the aim of the project is to improve the rice value chain in the Central Region following the cooperation between the Government of Ghana and the Government of the Republic of Korea.
According to him, the cooperation was funded by Korea International Cooperation Agency and implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA). He said, “Provision of the agricultural equipment, which is a key component of the rice value chain project, is important because it will promote government’s mechanization drive with manual and rudimentary rice farming.”
He added, “The machines would serve as valuable assets to beneficiary farmers in boosting rice production with the potential to positively impact lives and livelihood of the farmers at the microeconomic level.”
“Apart from the aforementioned machines, a total of 8MT of certified seeds would be distributed, with each beneficiary farmer getting 15.5kg of seeds at no cost,” he further added.
He gave an assurance that the agency was ever ready to stay fully committed to the project and see to the successful implementation of all components under the project. Mr. Oh disclosed that he is optimistic that the commercial rice milling factory at Assin Akropong would be handed over soon.
The Chief Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Patrick Ankobea who received the keys to the agricultural equipment on behalf of the government lauded KOICA and the United Nations Officer for Project Services (UNOPS) for supporting Ghana to increase rice production which would transform the economy of the country at large.
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