Farmers under the Ashaiman Irrigation Project were in high spirits as the government, through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, delivered 3,500 bags of 50kg NPK fertiliser to support their operations.

The donation, made under the flagship Feed Ghana Programme, was handed over directly to the Ashaiman Water Users Association—the farmer cooperative managing irrigation in the area.

The gesture fulfils a promise made last week by the Minister for Food and Agriculture,  Eric Opoku, during the official launch of the Ashaiman Irrigation Project rehabilitation.

It forms part of the “Irrigation for Wealth Creation” initiative under Feed Ghana, which seeks to modernise agriculture through enhanced irrigation infrastructure and targeted input support.

At a brief ceremony to present the fertilisers, the National Coordinator of the Feed Ghana Programme, Mr. Bright Kwadwo Demodzi, explained that the intervention aims to improve productivity and reduce Ghana’s reliance on imported vegetables.

“Our programme is anchored on three pillars—rehabilitation of existing irrigation schemes, development of new sites, and intensification of production through input support,” he said.

“Today’s donation is a direct fulfilment of the Minister’s commitment to support Ashaiman farmers.”

He emphasised that the inputs are being distributed free of charge nationwide to irrigation farmers, describing the move as a bold step by the government to promote year-round farming.

“This is not a subsidy—it is a full intervention. Every irrigation site across the country is receiving free fertilizer because these farmers can produce continuously,” Mr. Demodzi stressed.

He further noted that distributing the fertilisers through farmer cooperatives ensures transparency and accountability.

“We are not giving these inputs to officials or scheme managers—we are delivering them straight to the Ashaiman Water Users Association, who represent the actual producers on the ground,” he stated.

Mr. Demodzi announced that additional support in the form of seeds—particularly for onions, tomatoes, and peppers—would soon be distributed to further bolster vegetable production.

He also highlighted that for farmer groups to benefit from the Feed Ghana Programme, they must be community-based and focused on specific crops.

The Ashaiman Water Users Association, he said, serves as a model of what the government envisions in farmer cooperatives.

To ensure efficient usage of the fertiliser, he revealed that training and monitoring mechanisms would be rolled out, although he admitted that agricultural extension services face some logistical challenges.

Members of the Ashaiman Water Users Association expressed their gratitude to the government for the timely support.

“This is a big relief. It reduces our costs and will definitely improve our yields,” one farmer said.