MORE PATRONISE LOCAL RICE (BACK PAGE, JULY 17, 2009)

MARKETING and patronage of local rice in the country have increased substantially as a result of the introduction of new technologies to farmers and improved varieties of the produce by the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA).
Consequently, some farmers who abandoned rice cultivation in favour of maize and vegetable farming are said to have returned to rice farming.
The Project Manager of the Research Centre of GIDA, Nii Ofoe Hanson, told the Daily Graphic during a visit to the Ashaiman Irrigation Farmers Co-operative Society (AIFCS) irrigation site, that the centre had recorded modest increase in the patronage and marketing of local rice.
He said the centre had collaborated with the AIFCS to boost rice production by setting up demonstration farms to provide practical training in new techniques of rice cultivation to farmers.
Currently, the farmers at the Ashaiman rice growing irrigation site cultivate 51 hectares, but efforts are underway to increase the acreage.
Rice production at the site can increase if all the main canal structures are activated to irrigate 74 hectares, which are yet to be utilised.
Mr Hanson said an assessment by experts had revealed that GIDA would need GH¢400,000 to rehabilitate the damaged and subsequently abandoned structures.
He rejected the notion that local rice was full of stones and said GIDA had a de-stoner which removed all foreign materials from the cultivated rice before marketing.
Mr Hanson said presently, local rice farmers at Ashaiman, Asutsuare, Okyereko, Nobewem, Afife and Tono were among those actively engaged in rice production and, therefore, called on the government to target all individual rice farmers in its effort to encourage rice production locally.
He appealed to the government to show total commitment to the sector by offering the farmers credit facilities to maximise production ,and said some farmers who had abandoned the rice business in favour of vegetables and maize cultivation had returned to rice cultivation because of the patronage.
The Secretary to the AIFCS, Mr Ben Kanatsi, expressed concern about the encroachment on the GIDA lands supposed to serve as a buffer zone for the irrigation dam.
He said the lateral intended to take water from the main canal to supply water to rice farms had been turned into washing bays by the encroachers.
Mr Kanatsi said the soap in the water from activities of the encroachers had affected cultivation and growth of rice.