MP hails new irrigation project

Binduri (U/E) April 9, GNA - Mr Mark Anthony Awuni, Member of Parliament (MP) for Binduri has commended the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) and the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) for inaugurating a new innovative irrigation project in his Constituency.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Binduri at the weekend, the MP said the project would help improve the economic and social status of the people in his constituency. He said the project would also help reduce migration of the youth in search of menial jobs elsewhere, leaving their aged parents behind. Mr Awuni explained that since the drip irrigation system was the best method of managing and conserving water it would enable the people to do all-year-round farming.

The MP noted that the drip system would also help address the erratic rainfall pattern in the area, which usually affected agriculture production.

Mr Awuni encouraged citizens of the area to take advantage of the project and work hard to earn more income to cater for their families. He pledged that he would lobby the government, NGOs, donor partners and other organisations to assist the farmers with loans and other logistics.

The MP said a lot of farmers in the area had so far been engaged on the pilot project doing one point five hectares of onion and other crops such as tomatoes, pepper, and lettuce, which could also be planted under the drip irrigation system. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded the project.