The Member of Parliament for Offinso North, Dr. Fred Asamoah Kyei, has called on government and key stakeholders to significantly increase investment in irrigation-driven agriculture to enable year-round farming and stabilise food prices, particularly tomatoes.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, March 25, Dr. Asamoah Kyei stressed the urgent need to accelerate the expansion of irrigation infrastructure, including the Asmada Irrigation Scheme, to reduce Ghana’s dependence on seasonal rainfall and improve food security.
He urged authorities to scale up the adoption of modern farming technologies such as drip irrigation while sustaining ongoing investments in the rehabilitation of existing irrigation systems.
According to him, improving irrigation must go hand in hand with the integration of storage and processing facilities to reduce post-harvest losses.
The Offinso North legislator also highlighted the importance of strengthening farmer support systems through access to affordable credit, farm inputs, and extension services.
Additionally, he emphasised the need to upgrade feeder roads to facilitate the smooth transportation of farm produce to markets.
“The people of Offinso North and Ghana are not asking for charity; they are asking for opportunity,” he stated, underscoring the transformative potential of strategic agricultural investment.
Dr. Asamoah Kyei noted that with the right support, Offinso North has the capacity to produce tomatoes throughout the year, thereby reducing reliance on cross-border imports, stabilising prices for consumers, and creating jobs along the agricultural value chain.
He linked the recent surge in tomato prices, significant post-harvest losses, and reported deaths of Ghanaian traders engaged in cross-border trade to the lack of robust local production systems.
“These challenges point to one clear conclusion: Ghana must prioritise irrigation-driven agricultural assistance to support all-year-round farming,” he noted.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com