There is hope on the horizon as the government’s plans to avert possible food crises following a dry spell take shape.
A drought situation in the northern of the country has destroyed large hectares of farmlands threatening the nation’s food security given the significant role these regions play in feeding the country. The dry spell was further exacerbated by the spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso where almost ready for harvesting food crops were submerged.
Information from the Ministry of Agriculture indicates that about 928,523 farmers have been affected by the situation with a total of 1.86 million hectares of crops.
To respond to the situation, the government has allocated US$500 million from various sources including the contingency fund, and development partner among others to deal with the situation.
As part of the national response, Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Bryan Acheampong has revealed that the government has already imported food items which is currently on the high seas heading to Ghana.
It is anticipated that these imported food items will hit the Ghanaian market latest by 20th September so that Ghanaians will not grapple with food shortage.
“We have some foods on the high seas coming in. They should be here in a couple of weeks. We want to be able to get the food in the system by the 20th of September,” the Minister of Agriculture has disclosed.
He further revealed other response plans of the government including the distribution of seeds and fertilizers to farmers in the north to start planting in earnest.
He indicated that, “as we speak, there is an aggressive effort to get the seeds and fertilizers on the ground. We want to by the end of the next week, put in the hands of farmers maybe about 50% of what they need. We have a very short window for the planting season in the north and then also the planting in the south. So within two three weeks, we should have been able to distribute all our seeds and fertilizers to allow for the minor season planting and then take advantage of the rains that are currently falling in the north.”
The Minister is optimistic that the plans of the government are on track to avert any possible crises that could emanate from the drought.
He assured that, “largely, we have our hands firmly on the steering and we believe that we will be to implement the interventions successfully.”
Tags: Drought, Dry Spell, Bryan Acheampong
