Rice farmers in Gomoa Okyereko in the Gomoa East District of the Central Region are pleading to the government for an immediate reconstruct of their collapse “Dyke” which has affected their production for the past four years.
Dyke is a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water from Ayensu river to help assist rice farmers with water in their various farms.
The rice farmers said the Dyke is a technological way of improving their system of cultivation to produce rice into the Ghanaian markets.
The farmers bemoaned that since the collapse of the Dyke in 2019 as a result of severe flooding by the Ayensu river in which the system is connected, production has dropped drastically.
Currently, the Gomoa Okyereko Rice Farmers Association is known to be the leading rice producing community in the Central Region with them producing 15.6 metric tons onto the Ghanaian market in 2022.
In an interview with Bryt Fm Correspondent, Eric Owusu Amponsah, the farmers disclosed that they aim to produce more rice as it is a main occupation in the Gomoa Okyereko community.
They stated that the collapse of the Dyke project has driven many farmers from the profession.
The rice farmers appealed to relevant authorities to consider their problem by finding a lasting solution to help them produce more into the market in order to reduce imported rice into the country.
The farmer lamented their challenges during a visit by the Member of Parliament for the Gomoa East Constituency, Hon Desmond De-Graft Paitoo.
Hon. Desmond De-Graft Paitoo vowed to do his best to bring authorities on board to find a solution to the problems of the farmers.
Central and Western Regional Manager of the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority, who also doubles the Okyereko Irrigation Scheme Manager, Mr Ebenezer Kwame said that some farmers were being discouraged as a result of the problems they are encountering.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Eric Owusu Amponsah
