Konadu irrigation scheme in Afram Plains nears completion, first phase due within a month

Pinned summary · as of 17:36

The first phase of the Konadu irrigation scheme, in Kwahu Afram Plains South, is due to be commissioned in about a month. A manager at the contractor, Rann-Luuk Limited, gave MPs on the Agric and Cocoa Affairs Committee an update on how far the works have come.

What we know

• Commissioning of the first phase of the Konadu scheme in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District is planned within a month.
• Rann-Luuk Limited project manager Josh Roche gave the Agric and Cocoa Affairs Committee of Parliament a figure of 96% for the share of the works already done.
• The Konadu works form one part of APEEIP, the Afram Plains Economic Enclave Irrigation Project, whose purpose is to keep farms productive through every season.
• Once running, the scheme is expected to water about 900 hectares of farmland, using centre-pivot and gravity systems.
• Farmers are expected to join through an anchor-tenant and outgrower arrangement that ties smallholders to commercial operators and to markets.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Chale News reported that the project targets higher output of cereals and vegetables; MyJoyOnline did not mention particular crops, so the detail has not been confirmed by other reports.

Why it matters for Ghana

Farming in much of the Afram Plains depends on the rains, so a working irrigation scheme could let growers plant outside the wet season. The outgrower arrangement is meant to give smallholders access to commercial buyers, which matters for incomes in the Eastern Region district. The commissioning date will show whether the works are as far along as the contractor says.