KOICA supports Ghana with farm equipments to improve rice production.

The Korea International Corporation Agency (KOICA) has provided equipment to the Ghanaian government to help enhance rice production.

KOICA handed out the equipment, which included tractors and attachments, harvesters, and other items, to support the government’s efforts to develop the rice value chain in the country.

According to KOICA, the effort to boost rice production in the Central Region is critical for Ghana’s food security.

They claim that Ghana has so far been unable to meet domestic rice demand, leaving it heavily reliant on imports.

Senior Deputy Country Director for KOICA, Seungmin Oh, highlighted that the government of the Republic of Korea has placed a high focus on expanding the agricultural sector in Ghana in collaboration with the Ghanaian government in order to enable Ghana become self-sufficient in rice production.

According to him, the project in the Central Region, which has a grant budget of USD 8 million from the KOICA, is undeniably a real illustration of strong agricultural collaboration between Korea and Ghana.

According to statistics, rice is Ghana’s sixth most imported product, with over 1 billion USD in imports from 2017 to 2020. This, according to KOICA, is why Ghana was perceived as weak in the face of an unanticipated food crisis in 2011.

“Today, Ghana is facing even more challenges arising from the inflation in food prices due to the uncertainties surrounding global politics and economics,” he stated.

According to KOICA’s Senior Deputy Country Director, establishing greater self-sufficiency in rice production with increased productivity has become one of the Ghanaian government’s most pressing national priorities.

He added, “And it is for this reason that the Korean Government has come up with the project to support Ghana in increasing rice production through modernization and mechanization. This project is also, in a way, a significant and strategic investment for Ghana, given that it would help generate more jobs and income in the agricultural sector, which would not only enhance the lives of major beneficiaries such as the local farmers in the Region but also those engaged in activities in the broader value chain, including branding and marketing.”

At the handover ceremony, the Ministry’s Chief Director, Robert Ankobea, spoke on behalf of the Minister for Food and Agriculture, noting that since the start of the planting for food and jobs campaign in 2017, a total of 1,698 certified rice seeds accompanied by fertilizers have been distributed to rice farmers across the country.

This grew to 6,544 metric tonnes in 2019, 10,950 metric tonnes in 2020, and 14, 935 metric tonnes of certified seeds with fertilizers in 2021, according to him.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, this demonstrates the government’s commitment to increasing rice yields in order to achieve rice self-sufficiency by 2024.

Ifeoma The equipment, according to Charles Mowumba, Country Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), would help enhance rice output in the country.

She stated: “This equipment, you will agree with me, once deployed for use, will complement the government’s efforts to improve the rice value chain.” The project will not succeed without stakeholders working hand-in-hand to ensure smooth implementation. ”

All project beneficiaries have been charged by the Korean International Corporation Agency (KOICA) to make the most of the chance to boost rice production and help the government realize its objective of rice self-sufficiency by 2024.

Two tractors and attachments, as well as a tiny combine harvester, were delivered by KOICA.

There was also one Laser land leveler, one seed drill/till seed planter, eighteen power tillers and accessories, and two transplanters.

The rest are ten rice threshers, ten rice reaper binder combine harvesters, eighteen rice winnowers, thirty water pumps, an 18grain, moisture meter, and sixteen Knapsack sprayers/motorized mist blowers.