Mr. Chris Chapman, the Ashaiman Municipal Director of Agriculture, has said that the municipality, even though urban in nature, is strategically placed for agricultural development.

Mr. Chapman, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Ashaiman as part of the 2023 National Farmers Day celebration, said the municipality engaged in all-year-round farming compared to other communities.

He said that with the availability of the irrigation dam, farmers, especially those engaged in maize, were able to get water for their crops all year, putting them in a better position to supply major markets with maize even in the dry season.

He said in addition to maize, the over 1,000 registered farmers with the irrigation scheme also cultivated some cash crops, including onion.

He revealed that the irrigation scheme covered an area of 150 hectares, out of which 50 hectares have so far been fully developed.

The Ashaiman Agric Director stated that the Jospong Group of Companies had also adopted the scheme as a trainin
g centre and was currently trying out some varieties of rice from Thailand.

He said that following the success of the trial, the production of the rice would be scaled up to help meet the needs of Ghanaians.

Mr. Chapman, touching on aquaculture, said the municipality had a centre to produce tilapia and catfish fingerlings, which are sold to farmers across the country.

He said some farmers had ventured into catfish production using innovative methods, including containers, water reservoirs, and even rooftops.

On encroachment on farmlands, he said even though they had serious trespassing on such lands, especially that of the irrigation scheme, the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive and the Ashaiman Regent had helped to reduce it to the minimum.

Source: Ghana News Agency