The National Service Authority has announced plans to deploy 100 water pumps confiscated from illegal mining operations to irrigate 30,000 acres of maize and tomato farms under the government’s Feed Ghana program.
Speaking to journalists after receiving the pumps from the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat on Tuesday, May 12, Director-General of the Authority, Ruth Dela Seddoh, said the initiative forms part of broader efforts to strengthen sustainable agriculture and improve irrigation for large-scale food production.
According to her, the Authority plans to cultivate 20,000 acres of maize and 10,000 acres of tomatoes this year, making irrigation infrastructure essential to the success of the program.
“This year, we intend to work on 20,000 acres of land for maize and 10,000 acres for tomato production. With these crops, water is very important, and looking at the distance between the land and the water bodies, we needed to get as many pumps as possible to support us for irrigation purposes,” she stated.
She explained that the use of the confiscated pumps is expected to improve productivity while easing operational challenges for farmers participating in the program.
Meanwhile, Director of Operations at NAIMOS, Dominic Buah, said the national fight against illegal mining is gradually shifting toward redirecting miners away from water bodies and into responsible community mining and alternative livelihood program.
According to Colonel Buah, the strategy seeks to protect Ghana’s environment and water resources while also creating sustainable economic opportunities for persons previously involved in illegal mining activities.
