Irrigation system, borehole for farmers at Yikene in U/E Region
Accra Brewery Limited (ABL) has handed over a new irrigation system and a solar-powered mechanised borehole to farmers at Yikene, a farming community in the Bolgatanga Municipality in the Upper East Region.
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Yikene has a population of 850 people, mainly farmers who live in about 201 households.
The GH¢80,000 project is the contribution of the Eagle brand of the ABL to ensuring that farming activities in the area are sustained.
The projects also formed part of ABL’s sustainable development initiative to improve the livelihoods of rural farmers.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr James Zuugah Tiigah, commended ABL for their intervention which he observed would help ensure food security and poverty reduction in the area.
“There are two distinct seasons in the north –the rainy season spanning between May and September and a long dry season from October to March, with hardly any rains. It is within this long dry season that income and food supply levels of the people become a challenge,” he indicated.
The project, according to the minister, would thus offer an alternative to rain-fed agriculture that will enable the farmers to cultivate crops such as vegetables during the dry season.
Sustainable development
The Senior Brands Manager of ABL, Mr Jerry Gokah, said sustainable development was a key ambition of ABL, as it believes that its long-term expansion depended on growing economies, healthy communities and responsible use of scarce natural resources.
According to Mr Gokah, the Upper East Region was chosen as the launch pad for the Eagle farmer initiative because the region is the biggest contributor to Eagle sales volumes.
ABL recently inaugurated a US$100 million plant expansion project geared towards the use of more local raw materials.