Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bongo
The Minster of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Kwesi Ahwoi has cut the sod for the commencement of work on a 9 kilometre feeder road from Akansiringa to the oncho-free zone farmlands in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region.
The project which is expected to be executed in one year is estimated at GH c 852,529.30. When completed, it will increase access to about 5,000 hectares of fertile farmlands which will be conducive for the production of staple crops such as rice, maize, millet, soyabean, groundnuts, cowpea and boost livestock production.
The project, forms part of the road component of the Northern Rural Growth Programme, (NRGP) and is being financed by the African Development Bank while the International Fund for Agriculture Development,(IFAD) is financing the agricultural value chain development component.
The project is one of 53 lots of roads distributed in all four regions of the NGRP coverage area as follows: Upper East, 11 lots with a total length of 103.7 kilometres, Upper West, 12 lots with a total of length of 107.5 kilometres, Brong Ahafo, 10 lots with a total length of a total length of 77.95 kilometres and Northern Region, 20 lots with a total length of 203.53 kilometres.
Handing over the Akansiringa project to the contractor, Mr. Ahwoi said the Ministry attaches so much importance to the project and cautioned all the 53 contractors who have won bids to deliver on time emphasising that Ministry will not hesitate to terminate the contracts that are unduly delayed due to the fault of the contractor.
“They (contractors) should also note that any contract that is terminated, the name of the construction firm and their directors will be blacklisted and their information circulated to all government projects, ministries and donor communities” he warned.
On the other hand, he said if a contractor delivers in time and in good quality, that firm will also gain the status of a firm of very good standing and the same information about the firm will be circulated accordingly.
“The era where contractors thought that contracts when awarded cannot be terminated are over and legal actions will be pursued to recover any monies owed to the government by the contractor”, he stressed.
Mr. Ahwoi noted that a good road network is very critical in the fight against poverty and for the agricultural sector, roads opens up production areas to marketing centres. He said in Ghana as in many other areas, the high cost of food is not just due to the production cost but high transport charges from the farm gates to the markets leading to situation where transporters even make more profits than the farmers.
He said in high incidence of poverty in the Bongo District is not because the people are lazy but because of very poor land resources coupled with the incidence of the onchocerciasis, which has long been controlled, hence the need to open up the area for farmers to cultivate the vast fertile land which can turn the Bongo area into a net food exporting district.
He said the ministry will monitor the impart of the road when completed in terms of the number of tractors, motorised tri-cycles, and food trucks that will use it and the resultant food output and if the number of returns are high, the ministry will work with the District Assembly to establish a Farmers Service Centres where inputs dealers and mechanisation service providers will be encouraged and supported to set up their businesses there to boost agricultural production.
He bemoaned the rampant smuggling of subsidised fertilisers and appealed to farmers in border districts such as Bongo to be vigilant to ensure that government commitment to make fertiliser available and affordable is not thwarted by smugglers.
The District Chief Executive for Bongo, Mr. Clement Tia Akugre commended the government for opening up the area through the construction of the roads. He said apart from increasing crop production will greatly increase the number of people who will engage in farming activities thereby creating employment opportunities for the majority of the people in the district.
He said in recognition of the important role these communities in the oncho-freed zones contribute to agriculture, the assembly has already constructed two boreholes and intend to construct more to make life more meaningful to the people who live and work in those farming communities.
Mr. Akugre also commended the NGRP for supporting the Bongo District is the areas such as the development of 36 acres of rice valleys, as well as assisting 78 farmers on improved technology on soil and water conservation amongst others.
The Paramount Chief for Bongo, Naba Salifu Atamale Alemyarum commended the efforts of the ministry of agriculture and the NRGP for the intervention in the area. He also lauded government for initiating the block farming concept which he said are yielding results.
Naba Alemyarum, who has launched an initiative to stop bush burning and indiscriminate three cutting urge the people in the district to plant more trees to support his fight against desertification.
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