Mpraeso(ER), April 23, GNA - The management of African Development Bank (AfDB) has advanced more than 28.9 million dollars to Ghana for the implementation of an integrated five-year food security project, as well as ensure massive infrastructure development in the Affram Plains area by 2012.

About 70,000 farmers are being targeted under the programme dubbed the "Affram Plains Development Project" with the prime objective of increasing food production output to reduce poverty, and augment household incomes in the Kwahu North District of the Eastern Region. Mr Kofi Amoako Tweneboah, Project Coordinator, told the GNA at Mpraeso on Tuesday, that the Affram Plains was selected because of its pristine land that was fertile and suitable for a wide range of crop and animal production.

"The Affram Plains area has one of the least complicated land tenure systems in Ghana which makes is very attractive for agriculture investors. This is in addition to the fact that the Volta River flows through the district making it an ideal place for all-year irrigation farming."

Mr Tweneboah said in addition to the AfDB loan, the Government of Ghana was providing an additional 3.6 million dollars to follow through the many components of the project.

Among them is the seeding improvement module to breed nearly 17,000 hectares of superior maize seedlings and supply same to farmers to enable them increase their current production target of eight bags per acre to 20 bags by 2012.

An excitement part of the project, Mr Tweneboah told the GNA was the construction of five fodder banks or silage for large animal production equipped with veterinary clinics and the development of pastures to rein-in the situation of large numbers of cattle grazing over farm lands in the area.

He said this aspect of the project would bring some respite to farmers who had been bitter about the fall-out from uncontrolled cattle grazing especially by Fulani herdsmen in the area. With regard to vegetable production, Mr Tweneboah explained that it would target about 1,000 beneficiaries of which 70 per cent would be women.

They would receive a Government of Ghana grant of 60 per cent for the procurement of irrigation pumps to engage in all-year farming. Twenty kilometres of feeder roads to major food producing area in the district, drilling of 20 boreholes in deprived communities and the rehabilitation of the ferry that connect the area to Agordeke in the Volta Region to enhance mobility would be undertaken.

The remaining modules focused on developing storage facilities and marketing centres, producing seedlings for forestation and training of fisher folks in cage culture to engage in fingerlings production.