The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) is to rehabilitate the Keyime Dam in the Agotime-Ziope District to support farming activities in the area.

The project, under the Volta Dams Rehabilitation works, is also expected to promote fishing in the catchment area to meet the protein requirements of people and open up the place for agribusiness.

Dr Ben Nyamadi, Chief Executive of Ghana Irrigation Development Authority, said this in a speech read on his behalf on Saturday to climax this year’s Agbleza Festival of the Chiefs and people of Ziope.

He said the rehabilitation would include development of the adjoining lands and the sensitization of farmers to form Irrigation Farmers Association to benefit from the project.

Dr Nyamadi said farmer support services such as extension education and training would also be provided by MOFA for increased yield for largely the small scale farming communities.

He commended smallholders on family farms in the area for remaining in the sector irrespective of challenges and expressed the hope that with the rehabilitation of the dam, “things will change for the better”.

Dr Nyamadi therefore urged the people to keep faith with farming to “enjoy the better days ahead.”

Mr. Kufuor Appiah-Danquah, Board Member of Volta Regional Development Authority, said his outfit would by the end of the year acquire a mobile tomatoes processing plant to pulp tomatoes for convenient transportation to central stationary concentration plants.

He said that would help farmers during glut, and put premium on their produce.

Mr. Michael Kobla Adzaho, Agotime-Ziope District Chief Executive, enumerated social interventions by government towards making life comfortable for people especially farmers in the area and assured that roads leading to farm gates would be constructed before the year ends.

Mr. Henry Ford Kamel, Volta Regional Minister, said government would arrange loan facilities for farmers in the area to increase their yields.

Togbe Binah Lawluvi, Paramount Chief of Ziope Traditional Area, said the main challenges facing farmers in the area were lack of irrigation facilities and poor road network to farm gates.