President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the Government will, this year, commence preparatory works for the establishment of a Tractor and Backhoe Loader Assembly Plant in the Ashanti Region.

The initiative, he said, was in tandem with the Government’s determination to boost the agricultural machinery base of the country, towards productivity in the agro sector.

In line with this, the authorities would continue the capacity building of operators to ensure effective management and prolong the lifespan of agricultural machinery, the President stressed.

Delivering the State of the Nation’s Address, in Accra, he said the agricultural sector recorded significant successes, with an average growth rate of 6.28 percent from 2017 to 2021.

“The consistent growth over the period has translated into improved food security, job opportunities along agricultural value chains and availability of raw materials for industry,” he noted.

President Nana Akufo-Addo indicated that to address the vexed issue of post-harvest losses, some 65 warehouses had been constructed, with the remaining 15 at advanced stages of completion.

“This intervention is adding some eighty thousand metric tonnes (80,000mt) to the national grain storage capacity,” he explained and revealed that a US$29.9 million worth of machinery and equipment had been procured from Brazil to boost mechanisation.

According to him, the experiences and lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict justified sufficiently his Administration’s increased investment in the agricultural sector.

While projecting a positive outlook for the sector, the President assured that the Government “will continue to prioritise agriculture as one of the driving forces for economic transformation.”

He acknowledged the impact of climate change and variability on global agricultural activities, saying that was a call to the country to adopt appropriate technologies and other innovative practices for sustainable agriculture and resilience against food insecurity.

“The Government’s response has been to continue to invest in irrigation infrastructure, both large and small scales, across the country,” he stated.

In 2022, the Government completed the rehabilitation and modernisation of large-scale irrigation schemes at the Tono, Kpong and Kpong Left Bank projects.

The three schemes, according to the President, were expected to provide six thousand, seven hundred and sixty-six hectares (6,766ha) of irrigable land for all-year-round crop production.

He said Phases One and Two of the Tamne Irrigation Project had been completed, with Phase Three of the project at 57 percent completion.