Deputy Minister of Agriculture, John Dumelo, has revealed that the government has distributed thousands of water pumps seized from illegal mining operators to farmers across the country to support irrigation farming.

Speaking on Joy News during a discussion on Ghana’s food sovereignty, 69 years after independence, Mr Dumelo explained that the initiative forms part of the government’s short-term measures to enhance irrigation and increase food production.

The pumps, confiscated during operations against illegal mining — commonly known as galamsey — are being redirected to farmers who need irrigation equipment to sustain year-round farming.

“With the irrigation, in the short term, the galamsey pumps that we have seized, we have distributed over a thousand pumps to farmers across the country to be able to irrigate their farms,” he said.

Mr Dumelo noted that while the redistribution provides an immediate solution, the government is also pursuing medium- and long-term strategies to strengthen irrigation infrastructure and address the broader challenges confronting farmers.

“In the medium and long term, that is when we are developing the Kpong Left Bank; these are huge irrigation schemes that might take a little time to fully complete and function,” he added.

He stressed that the initiative reflects the government’s wider commitment to improving agricultural productivity and easing the constraints that continue to affect farming across the country.