Upper East to benefit ten warehouses under NRGP

Mr. Roy Ayariga, National Coordinator, Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), on Monday assured beneficiary regions of equity in all its interventions.

Mr. Ayariga, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Navrongo said, five warehouses would be allotted to the Upper East Region for the storage of maize and sorghum as part of NRGP objectives to achieve sustainable agriculture and food security for the poor.

He said the storage facility would also help farmers to keep their produce at central areas for marketing.

Under transport infrastructure, he said, construction and rehabilitation of feeder roads are ongoing to improve the transportation of farm produce and open up agricultural producing areas for access to market.

Mr. Ayariga mentioned the Pwalugu–Arigu feeder road, which contract works had been completed and the Tilli-Widnaba road that was still under construction.

He assured that all beneficiary regions would receive equal number of roads infrastructure to help in transporting foods from the rural communities.

Mr. Ayariga said the programme was aimed to reduce poverty in the three northern regions, and parts of the south namely Kintampo North, Kintampo South, Tain, Sene and Pru, which used the value chain concept for agricultural development.

He said irrigation development was also crucial to the programme and had procured some water pumps out of which the Upper East Region would benefit from 60 of them to help farmers to irrigate their farms and improve agricultural productivity.

He said the Tano-Yarugu and Googo irrigation projects in the Bawku area were examples of the NRGP commitment to improve farming activities in the three northern regions.

Mr. Ayariga indicated that rural banks in the Upper East were supportive to farmers groups through various forms of their credit schemes which according to him helped them to intensify their activities.

He mentioned the promotion of butter nut squash production as one of the NRGP commitment to facilitate and support business opportunities for small holder farmers in the beneficiary regions.**