Accra, Aug. 5, GNA - An eight-member Board of Directors for Irrigation Company of Upper Region (ICOUR) was inaugurated in Accra on Wednesday with a call on members to subdue the problems confronting the organisation.

"I know the challenges are many and formidable but I have no doubt at all in my mind that with professionalism and commitment, you will subdue them," Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) said. ICOUR manages the Tono and Vea Irrigation projects in the then Upper Region now Upper East and Upper West regions. Mr Ahwoi said although the identified total potential irrigable land in Ghana was about 500,000 hectares, the current area of development was around 11,000 hectares.

He said after 52 years of independence, Ghana had managed to develop only about 0.02 per cent of the total irrigable land. Mr Ahwoi said it was not a surprise that irrigation had not impacted significantly on food and agricultural production. He stressed the need for Ghana to move away from the absolute reliance on rain-fed agriculture because it is not sustainable. He said all the political administrations of the country had recognized the importance of irrigation in the production of food and industrial raw materials and therefore provided institutional, financial and technical support for the venture.

The Minister however said due to ill-management irrigation projects that had been developed in various parts of the country had so far not impacted on Ghana's agricultural performance.

"I am talking about management that has proven to be weak, insensitive and professionally incompetent, management that had accepted and supervised defective engineering designs.

"Management that have compromised their professionalism and competence as they have insensitively watched and allowed contractors abandon various irrigation projects with impunity and walk away after collecting huge contract sums of money meant for project execution; management that have closed their eyes to the sanctions contained in contract document."

He cited nine of those public schemes which were selected for rehabilitation under the Kufuor Administration in 2003, but are still not working due to the above reasons, after sinking millions of hard earned dollars into those projects.

Mr Ahwoi said it would be difficult for the country to fulfil the national plan for agriculture development and expansion for the purpose of ultimate food security and industrialization if irrigation was not a part of the programme.

He announced that government would ensure that all the nine schemes would be in operation in the coming dry season and beyond. Mr Ahwoi said the two irrigation schemes being managed by ICOUR were quite tremendous and with proper management and use of the facilities they would impact significantly on the nation's food production especially rice and tomatoes.

He announced MOFA's intention to consign a dedicated portion of the irrigated lands to tomato production purposely to feed the Northern Star factory, which had been sitting idle since its rehabilitation. Mr Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister and Chairman of the Board, pledged the commitment of the board to assist MOFA to achieve the goals set for ICOUR Limited and the overall aims of the government to bring about accelerated agricultural modernisation, improved rural economy and food security.

He expressed the hope of the board to come out with policies that would enhance the production and processing of good quality rice and tomato to reduce the import bill of those goods. Mr Woyongo therefore suggested the need for beneficiary farmers to play a major role in the maintenance of the scheme and pay water levies and tractor services to reduce the dependency of running the company on government subvention.

Mr Mahmoud Khalid, Upper West Regional Minister is the co-chairman while Mr Daniel Lamptey, Mr Daniel Ohemeng, Mr Amaning Kwanteng, Mr abdul-Razaque Ziblim Salifu, Mr Ahmed Bogobiri and Mr Domic Atafo are members.