Farmerline has announced a support package for rice farmers in the Weta and Avalavi enclaves in the Ketu North Municipality of the Volta Region.
This will supplement recovery efforts after two rounds of flooding tore through the Weta Irrigation Scheme in late June 2026 and destroyed rice plantations.
Damage Caused by Floods
The scheme’s flood situation briefing estimates provisional losses at GH₵27.1 million. Crop loss accounts for GH₵26.4 million of that, with infrastructure damage costing GH₵723,000.
A thousand hectares of rice went underwater, 809 of them within the scheme’s own plots, and 1,024 farmers and out-growers were affected. The crop was between the vegetative stage and near harvest when the water arrived, marking the period of highest yield loss.
Approximately 5,000 people depend on the scheme for a livelihood, with about 400 displaced in Atiteti village and cut off from the main road. Thankfully, no fatalities were recorded as scheme workers undertook a timely rescue during the incident.
The road networks connecting the dams have become impassable due to the devastation caused by floodwaters, posing hazards to motorists.
The rest of the dam infrastructure is similarly damaged, with the dam embankment eroded and scoured, and ongoing breach risks. Canals and drains are silted, submerged, along with their control structures.
The pumping station and its field channels are submerged, with the spillway dike broken.
Farmerline Relief Package
Following the disaster, Farmerline is providing 20 micro-threshers, halving its ploughing and combine harvesting fees, and contributing GH₵20,000 towards rehabilitating the access road to the dam site, though the total repair cost is estimated at GH₵100,000.
Delali Kumah, Head of Logistics at Farmerline, explained that his organisation decided to act swiftly because the Weta and Avalavi farmers were among the first to partner with Farmerline in the region.
“Over the years, the relationship has grown into something cordial and mutual. We benefit from them, they benefit from us, and we all benefit from the partnership,” he said.
“So when we heard about the flooding, it moved us. We decided to mobilise and do our part to ease the burden on these farmers.”
He added that the threshers and discounted harvesting aim to support what can still be recovered, with the discounted ploughing focusing on what comes next.
Much of Farmerline’s work in the area is managed through its service centre at Avalavi, which supports the company’s mechanisation fleet and storage capacity in the region, enabling rapid equipment deployment to flooded plots.
Mr Kumah said Farmerline intends to expand these efforts across both communities with farm intelligence tools, mechanisation, KYC support, and post-harvest handling.
He also proposed a hydrological study of the catchment, an upgraded emergency spillway, and a standing flood response and farmer insurance framework to protect farmers from future disasters.
Gideon Kokoroko, representing the youth on the scheme, said the support arrived when hope was waning.
“We had lost hope and didn’t know what to do when the floods took over our farms. Things will be difficult for a while, but this donation gives us something to hold on to.”
Founded in Kumasi in 2013, Farmerline works with more than 2.3 million farmers across Africa, managing over three million acres.
Its Mergdata platform is utilised by partners in 50 countries. Both Mergdata and its farmer assistant, Darli AI, have been named to TIME’s Best Inventions list.
Source - https://www.myjoyonline.com
