The Regional office of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Accra has presented a grant of US$500,000 to the Government of Ghana to support farmers who were affected by the June 3, 2015 flood disaster in Accra.
The grant is for the restoration of productive capacities of Agricultural Households of affected farmers. The presentation was made by the Ag. Director General of FAO Regional office in Accra; Mr. Tijani Bukar on behalf of the Director General to the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Fiifi Kwetey, after a formal agreement was signed to that effect.
In a brief statement, Mr. Tijani Bukar said the Director General was touched by the unfortunate incident which occurred in the country resulting in the loss of life and the destruction of property. He said the grant which will be in the form of technical assistance is to support farmers affected by the disaster to re-establish themselves.
He mentioned in particular the supply of inputs and the rehabilitation of irrigation scheme for the provision of food security. Mr. Tijani Bukar noted the long standing cooperation between the FAO and the Government of Ghana which date back to 1959 when the FAO opened its offices in Accra.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Fiifi Kwetey who received the grant on behalf of the Government of Ghana expressed gratitude to FAO. Hon. Fiifi Kwetey used the occasion to once again offer the condolences of the government to all those who have been affected in one way or the other by the flood.
The grant of US$500,000 will be used to restore farming activities of 2,200 small holder farmers cultivating over 2,800 Ha of vegetables, rice and maize in the Accra metropolis and its environs. It will also be used to rehabilitate and restore production operation of the Weija Irrigation Scheme for the reparation of broken canals and reservoirs.
Additionally, the grant will also go into training farmers in building their capacities on climate change adaptation strategies.
The project also includes the following:
- US$75,000 for 50 metric tons of maize seeds for 800 farmers
- US$25,000 for 12 metric tons of rice seeds for 200 farmers
- US$10,000 for 0.4 metric tons of assorted vegetables
- US$45,000 for training programmes of farmers
The project duration is scheduled from August 2015 to July 2016.
Source: pulse.com.gh/
