Posted on :
11 Feb, 2020
11 Feb, 2020
GMCO is responsible for managing strategic and operational risks associated with a subset of the regional portfolio of engagements, developing and delivering cost-effective services contributing to partners’ sustainable results and achievements of UNOPS management results.
Job Description
Job Title: Lead Agricultural Engineer (Mechanization Expert)
The core functions of the Operational Hub are to:
Background Information – Job Specific
Ghana’s yearly demand for rice is estimated to be 1,000,000 MT in 2017 with a per capita consumption also estimated at 38 kg per annum and is expected to rise to 63 kg per annum by 2018 (Dogbe et al 2016)1). However, much of the rice consumed in Ghana is imported from Thailand and Vietnam. Currently Ghana imports around 675, 000 MTs directly and another 150,000 MTs is said to be smuggled through the Cote D’Ivoire border.
Small-holder farmers dominate the Ghanaian rice production system. In fact, it is estimated that small scale rice production account for nearly 72% of the total volume produced in the country. Given this situation, the strategy of the Government of Ghana is to reduce rice importation by 30% within the next three years and boost domestic rice production. In line with its objectives of reducing the importation of rice, Ghana needs to increase domestic production of milled rice from 442,000 MT to 600,000 MT between 2018 and 2020 to meet its target of 30% import substitution.
Despite its efforts and objectives, the Government is far from achieving its national rice self-sufficiency agenda due to several key constraints, including:
Moreover, poor linkages between farmers, seed producers, fertilizer dealers, millers and providers of financial and mechanization services negatively affect the adoption of improved technologies and practices among rice value chain actors. This project will strengthen upstream and downstream linkage.
On the basis of the justification above, KOICA and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture have embarked on a joint project to implement a rice value chain development systems in the central region.
The Project to Improve Rice Value Chain in the Central Region of Ghana (PIRVC) was signed in August 2019 and will focus on four (4) intervention pillars:
As part of the overall project, UNOPS has been engaged by KOICA to provide implementation support for: