The Minister of Food and Ag­riculture, Eric Opoku, has officially launched the Rehabilitation of Irrigation Schemes and the Improvement of Irrigation Water Management Project at Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region.Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, Mr Opoku highlighted the urgency of revital­ising existing irrigation systems to enhance local food production and ensure national food security."While we develop new irriga­tion infrastructure, it is equally important that we rehabilitate existing ones.

That is why we are here today," he said.The Ashaiman project is the first in a series of similar initiatives to be rolled out in Aveyime, Weta, Via, and parts of the Northern, Ashanti, Bono, and Ahafo Regions.According to Mr Opoku, Ghana has earmarked over 100 hectares of land for rice seed production and aims to produce 10,000 tons of rice seed annually by 2027, upon completion of the Dawhen­ya irrigation project.

He also announced the construction of a one-megawatt solar farm to power irrigation systems and lower rice production costs.He stressed the need to protect public agricultural infrastructure, noting that the Ashaiman facility, built in 1968, holds potential to transform Ghana's agriculture if fully rehabilitated and safeguarded.Mr Opoku issued a stern warn­ing to encroachers and polluters, assuring strict enforcement of the law to preserve irrigation assets and farmlands.In support of agricultural trans­formation, the Minister announced the distribution of 150 motorbikes to agricultural extension officers, with 350 more expected by the end of the month.

He lamented the current ratio of one extension officer to 1,574 farmers, which he described as a major barrier to progress.To bridge the human resource gap, the Ministry, in collaboration with the National Service Scheme, is engaging 5,000 agricultural graduates, with plans to expand the programme to 10,000.Mr Opoku further revealed plans to establish Farmer Service Centres in all agricultural districts.