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An irrigation project to help boost tomato production at Akomadan in the Offinso North District of Ashanti is to start October next month. Mr Kojo Appiah-Kubi, the District Chief Executive (DCE), who announced this on Thursday, said the project was part of an intervention to address problems such as unreliable rainfall and low productivity. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Irrigation Development Authority of Ghana and the District Assembly would jointly undertake the project. Mr Appiah-Kubi told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi on Thursday that the Irrigation Development Authority had already procured pumping machines, hoses and pipes to take water from the Akomadan Dam to irrigate about 1,600 acres of land for tomato growing. He said there were plans to extend the project to cover an additional 800-acre land to increase the production levels. The DCE said the tomato industry had the potential to raise the standard of living of the people in the area if well developed and therefore called on corporate bodies and the nation�s development partners to invest in the industry. He said it was unfortunate that due to unpredictable rainfall pattern, many farmers had re-located to Techiman to farm, where the irrigation system is relatively better. Mr Appiah-Kubi said he was hopeful that the project would in the long term encouraged the youth to go into farming to improve their living conditions.