FAO supports farmers of the June 3 disaster

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), has signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to support smallholder farmers, who lost their livelihoods in the June 3 disaster.

The agreement is to restore farming activities of 2,200 smallholder farmers cultivating more than 2,800 hectares of vegetable, rice and maize in the Accra metropolis and its environs.

Mr Bukar Tijani, the FAO's Regional Representative for Africa, speaking at the signing in ceremony in Accra said the agreement was under the organisation's technical co-operation programme worth $ 500,000.

He said the agreement, which is a technical cooperation grant from FAO is to rehabilitate and restore production operation of the Weija Irrigation Scheme, with the repair of broken canals and reservoirs.

He said the FAO has been supporting various initiatives in Ghana over the years and expressed the hope that the agreement would help restore the production capacity of flood victims to support their livelihood.

Mr Fifi Kwetey, the Minister of Food and Agriculture commended the Director-General of FAO on whose instance the support is going to the victims.

He said the grant would be used for various activities including the procurement of 50 metric tons of maize seeds for 800 farmers.

About 200 farmers would benefit from 12 metric tons of rice seeds in addition to 202 farmers who would cultivate pepper, tomatoes, onion, okro and maize.

The Minister said $ 45,000 has also been allocated for training of farmers.

The project which starts from September is expected to end in July 2016.