Government interventions boost agricultural productivity in Upper East

The Upper East Region has recorded significant gains in agricultural productivity, driven by targeted government interventions aimed at empowering farmers, expanding cultivated land and modernising agriculture over the past one year.

Speaking during a media encounter in Bolgatanga, Donatus Atanga Akamugri, the Upper East Regional Minister, who disclosed this, said cultivated land in the region increased by five per cent, while the production of key staples such as maize and rice rose by four per cent over the period under review.

He attributed the growth to favourable rainfall and government programmes, particularly the Feed Ghana Programme, which expanded farmer registration from 8,221 to 10,314 and facilitated the distribution of more than 19,000 bags of fertiliser to farmers across the region.

The minister said support was also extended to 14 senior high schools to strengthen school farm initiative, while livestock production increased by eight per cent, with notable growth in guinea fowl and local poultry production.

Under the Irrigation Company of Upper Regions (ICOUR), he said 100 young people had been trained in rice seed production at Tono in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality, and about 1,000 farmers were expected to benefit from the distribution of 20,000 kilogrammes of rice seed and 3,000 bags of fertiliser under the HAPPY Project.

To enhance mechanisation, the Minister disclosed that government had secured a credit arrangement with the Chinese firm, Weichai Lovol Intelligent Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. (commonly known as LOVOL), to supply farmers with modern farm equipment to improve efficiency and productivity.

He further noted that beyond the GH¢100 million allocated to fish farmers nationally in the 2026 Budget, several Memoranda of Understanding had been signed with key partners to strengthen the agricultural value chain in the region.

These, he mentioned, include agreements with Vinkumans Company Limited to revamp the ICOUR Guest House and Club House, Shield Contractors Limited to establish a rice processing factory in Navrongo, and the Ghana Prisons Service to promote cage fishing on the Tono Irrigation Scheme Reservoir.

Furthermore, the minister indicated that the region received its share of the portable water pumps ceased from illegal miners and distributed all the 100 portable water pumps to farmers across the region, adding that the move would enhance irrigation, support all-year-round farming and boost food security.

In line with the government’s agricultural transformation agenda, the minister said he had worked closely with Members of Parliament and relevant agencies to identify 24,475 acres (9,904.681 hectares) of potential irrigable land for development into commercial farming enclaves.

The identified areas, he said, were in the Binduri, Bawku West and Builsa South districts, as well as the Kassena-Nankana Municipality.

“On the 8th of this month, I had the honour to lead the delegation of the Hon. Majority Leader of Parliament including engineers and private sector actors who are ready to partner government in this venture, to tour these identified sites on exploring viable modalities for developing them to promote all-year-round farming,” he said.

The minister said the interventions were aimed at unlocking the vast agricultural potential of the Upper East Region, empowering farmers and driving economic growth in line with the government’s 24-Hour Economy Policy.