A three-day farm machinery training programme has been organised for certified rice seed producers to improve their technical skills and promote agricultural mechanisation in Ghana’s rice sector.
The training, held at the Dawhenya Irrigation Scheme in the Greater Accra Region, was organised by the Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture (KOPIA) Ghana Centre in collaboration with the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA).
It brought together farmers from the Kpong, Weta and Dawhenya irrigation schemes, where certified rice seed is produced for distribution to farmers across the country.
Farmers trained in modern equipment use
Participants were taken through classroom and practical sessions on the safe operation, inspection and maintenance of agricultural machinery, including power tillers, tractors and combine harvesters.
The training also covered the use of farm implements such as rotary tillers, with participants gaining hands-on experience in operating and maintaining the equipment.
The sessions were facilitated by Mr Lee Woong-jae, an agricultural machinery specialist from Korea’s National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NongHyup), who has more than 30 years of experience in farm machinery training.
The training forms part of the K-Rice Belt Project, a five-year Official Development Assistance (ODA) initiative funded by the Government of the Republic of Korea to support sustainable rice production in Ghana.
Since 2023, the project has produced and distributed about 1,580 metric tonnes of certified rice seed, including improved varieties such as KoreaMo and Agyapa.
The project aims to produce 5,000 metric tonnes of certified rice seed by 2027 to support the cultivation of about 100,000 hectares of rice fields across the country.
Mechanisation key to farming growth
Delivering the opening address, the Chief Executive Officer of GIDA, Eric Dankwa, said agricultural mechanisation was essential to transforming Ghana’s farming sector.
He said mechanisation would reduce the burden of manual labour, enable farmers to cultivate larger areas, improve productivity and increase farm incomes.
“Mechanisation is no longer an option; it is a necessity for the future of agriculture,” he said.
The Director of the KOPIA Ghana Centre, Dr Kim Young-jin, urged participants to apply the skills acquired to improve certified rice seed production and contribute to strengthening Ghana’s food security.
He said the initiative also represented an important step in deepening agricultural cooperation between Ghana and the Republic of Korea.
