Government to pilot windmill pumps

Navrongo, June 7, GNA -Government is to pilot the use of locally manufactured windmill technology pumps for irrigation to boost agricultural production.

In this direction, 300 locally manufactured windmill pumps would soon be put to use in the Kasena-Nakana District of the Upper East Region to enhance food production.

One windmill can irrigate 10 hectares of land.

Additionally, 900 million cedis had also been released to start the first phase of the rehabilitation work on the canals at Tono. Vice President Aliu Mahama announced the initiatives on Monday at a durbar held in his honour at the palace of the Navro-Pio at Navrongo.

Vice President Mahama said the government had also released 640 million cedis to provide credit to tomato farmers in the district, who lost their harvest in the last season.

There were also plans to construct six dams to sustain agricultural activities all year round and to prevent the youth from migrating to the south in search of jobs, he said.

A credit facility of 1.8 billion cedis had also been made available, the Vice President said.

The dams would be protected from siltation by the cultivation of grafted mangoes around them.

The mangoes, which are to be planted on a large scale (5,000 seedlings), would also support the income of the people. At Akurugudabo, the Vice President commissioned a 587 million-cedi dam funded under the village infrastructure programme.

He advised ICOUR, which constructed the six-hectare facility, to properly maintain it to serve it from siltation.

At Manyoro, Vice President announced the construction of dams valued at 1.1 billion cedis for the community.

In all the communities the chiefs and regents commended government for the development projects so far offered them.

Vice President Mahama's entourage included Mr Andrew Awuni, a Deputy Minister of Information, Hajia Alima Mahama, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and President's Special Initiative, Mr Joe Akudibilla, Deputy Minister of Defence, Madam Hawa Yakubu, Member of Parliament for Bawku Central.

The visit formed part of a week outreach programme of the Vice President, aimed at eliciting the views of the people at the grassroots level to inform the formulation of national policies and programmes. 08 June 04