President John Dramani Mahama with Ndan Ya Na Abukari II in Yendi
President John Dramani Mahama, has hinted that the government will prioritise irrigation systems to boost farming in the Northern Region.
“The rain fall is erratic and so the government is targeting irrigation development because without water, farming becomes difficult and I remember last year after our farmers had planted at a point the rains stopped for about 10 weeks and many farmers lost their crops and so our intention is to focus on irrigation and agriculture and the Northern Region will get its share of the initial 10,000 hectares of land that we will put under irrigation,” he said.
According to him, the Northern Region has great potential in agriculture and can provide the food security the country needs.
“Agriculture is the backbone of the Northern Region’s economy and to support all year farming, solar powered irrigation systems will be established at various parts of the Northern Region to ensure water access to small and large scale farming.”
He made this known when he paid a courtesy call on the King of Dagbon, Ndan Ya Naa, Abukari II at his Gbewah palace in Yendi as part of his thank you tour of the Northern Region.
President Mahama, stated that farm to market roads will be constructed to reduce post-harvest losses and improve market accessibility.
He assured the Ya Naa and the people of the North that roads, infrastructure among other projects will be prioritised by his administration.
“I want to assure the people of the Northern Region that when we share the national cake you will always get your fair share,” he said.
The King of Dagbon, told President Mahama that enhancing agricultural productivity will boost local economy, food security and improve the income of families.
He urged him to renovate the existing irrigation dams that have not seen renovation for several decades, especially the Bontanga irrigation dam, adding that setting up new irrigation dams will greatly enhance the productivity of peasant farmers and improve their income generation for better lives.
FROM Eric Kombat, Yendi