The Birim Central Municipality is to increase local rice production this year. In 2013, the municipality produced 8,028.90 metric tonnes of rice and this year, 2,773.62 hectares of land had been put under rice cultivation and it is expected to yield 9,391.47 metric tonnes of high quality rice.

Mr Anthony K. Prah, Municipal Director of Agriculture, said this in an interview with the Media Auditing and Tracking of Development Project team from the Ghana News Agency on the management and production of Inland Valley Rice Development Project (IVRDP).

The Media Auditing and Tracking of Development project is sponsored by STAR-Ghana, a multi-donor organisation aimed at promoting local participation in governance.

IVRDP is a project introduced by the Government through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to boost rice production and ensure food sufficiency in the country.

He said Nyamenti near Akim Asuoso and Oda Nkwanta had been selected for the production of rice under irrigation to ensure availability of water for rice production throughout the year. Mr Prah said so far 80 rice farmers were engaged in that project sponsored by the African Development Bank.

He advised farmers to visit the MOFA office for the necessary enquiries and education on the use of modern technology to improve their productivity and yields.