Three significant irrigation sites have been redeveloped by the Ghanaian government and the World Bank to accommodate various sorts of crops. The Kpong Left Bank near Torgome in the North Tongu district of the Volta region is one such location.
To avoid the negative effects of climate change, agricultural enterprises would be protected year-round here, as they would be everywhere else.
Now that the Torgome region has access to a necessary component for crop farming, it resembles the nectar described in the Bible as the land flowing with milk and honey. A call for prospectors received more responses than it could handle, yet 14 of the agribusinesses were chosen.
A French business was the first to begin using the Kpong Left Bank Irrigation, growing bananas on around one-fifth of the 2,500 hectares of served land. The additional construction had increased the amount of land that could be farmed by double.
The French corporation is aware of the opportunity and rushed quickly to the location. The event will commemorate 20 years of comparable operations on irrigated land on the Kpong Right Bank.
Commercial banana growing for export to Europe is the only thing it is interested in. Crop seedlings that have just been planted on the left bank should gestate in 8 months.
The biggest difficulties, according to the Cameroonian farm manager Jean-Marie Tchonang, are labour and the meticulous agronomy involved in banana growth. However, these issues will likely be eclipsed by the rush for the products once they reach the worldwide market.
According to Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister of Food and Agriculture of Ghana, 34 million dollars have already been invested in the irrigation project, therefore stakeholders must give it priority by working together and taking part.
Torgbui Gidi, the traditional ruler (Mankralor), was called to a meeting with him so they could continue talking about the best way to include the locals in the project.
Because of the nation’s political stability and fertile regions, French investors Messrs. Benjamin Rich and Olivier Chassang are not looking back on this endeavour.
According to projections, the new location might add 600 jobs to the 3,500 now present on the right bank. Banana exports are anticipated to reach 100,000 tonnes per year.
The Banana Exporter assures that other exporters of agricultural products will use its export terminal in the Tema harbour for quick turnaround and cost-saving purposes.
If what you are seeing and hearing whets your appetite, it is time for you as a Ghanaian to brace yourself for the opportunity and become worthy participants, the coordinator of the Ghana Commercial Agriculture Project, GCAP, Mr. Osei Owusu Agyemang, remarked, adding his voice to the conversation.
He claimed that because farming is such a serious business, important players must receive honorific titles bearing the moniker “Ghanaian Farmer” in countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe, and others. He advised Ghanaians that every journey begins with a single step.
French banana farms are also located in Cameroon and Cote D’Ivoire in Africa.
Source: Napoleon Ato Kittoe.
