The Ministry of Food and Agriculture in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and other donors has designed a project to support dry season production in the three northern regions, the sector minister has announced. Mr Ernest Akubuor Debrah told Parliament on Tuesday, March 11, 2008, that the ministry was currently distributing water pumps, PVC pipes, seeds, fertilisers and pesticides to several farmer groups in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions to support production before the rains start. Mr Debrah was answering questions posed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sissala West, Mr Haruna Bayariga, in the House. The MP had asked the minister whether the ministry had plans to provide resources to farmers in the three regions during the 2008 farming season. The minister stated that since many farmers in the area lost their crops during last year's flood, it was expected that they would not have seeds and other planting material for the 2008 production year. "My ministry is making all efforts to supply planting material to all such farmers who were affected by the 2007 floods," he said. Mr Debrah added that for 2008, the ministry had planned to provide support for the production of selected commodities in all the 10 regions, explaining that that would involve the provision of production inputs that were meant to demonstrate the effectiveness of various technologies to farmers. The MP for Kintampo North, Mr Stephen Kunsu, asked the minister whether the ministry was taking steps to seek compensation for farmers whose farms were destroyed three years ago during the construction of the New Longoro Irrigation Project near Kintampo. Mr Debrah stated that the project was one of the 26 irrigation schemes being constructed under the small-scale projects in the country with funding from the African Development Bank and the government. He explained that the agreement that was signed between the project and the farmers required that the farmers formed an Irrigation Farmers Association (IFA) to acquire the land and show evidence of land ownership as a prerequisite for the commencement of the project. He added, therefore, that compensation for crops destroyed as a result of the development was to be paid by members of the IFA. He said that in all the 26 schemes, including the New Longoro one, the government was not responsible for the payment of any compensation. Mr Debrah also informed the House that the Tomato Processing Promotion Centre project proposed in 2002 to be sited in Techiman as a pilot project to reduce the high post harvest losses would be inaugurated in August, this year when tomato for test trial would be available in the system. He explained that when the project was proposed, it took almost two years to get additional support from the Italian government to continue with the procurement process. Answering another question posed by the MP for Techiman South, Mr Simon Addai, Mr Debrah explained that the existing structure at the factory could not accommodate the steam boiler and thus necessitated the construction of a boiler house and that also caused a delay in the installation programme. He stated that the processing plant, which was imported from Italy, was ready at the site for installation while a transformer had been installed with the extension of power to the factory would be completed by the end of this month. Source: Daily Graphic