Josiah
Northern Ghana is currently facing a severe drought that has raised significant concerns about food security and the livelihoods of thousands of farmers. The region has been without rain for over two months, causing crops to wither and leaving farmers with little hope for a successful harvest.
Staple crops such as rice, maize, groundnuts, and millet have suffered extensive damage due to the lack of rainfall, leading to a dramatic drop in food production. This has sparked fears of a potential food shortage and a looming famine in the area.
Some farmers, speaking to Channel One TV, expressed deep concern that even if the rains were to arrive soon, it might be too late to salvage the situation. “We would have harvested long ago if there had been rain. The corn would have been ready, but now it feels like a disaster. We are currently hopeless,” one farmer lamented.
Alhaji Mashoud Mohammed, the 2021 National Best Farmer, who manages over 3,000 acres of farmland, voiced his frustration with the drought, attributing it to climate change. He noted the significant impact on his operations, saying, “We might break even, but profits seem unlikely. We’re dealing with about 1,333 acres of maize and almost 2,170 acres of rice, soybeans, and sorghum. Given the drought’s impact, we should have finished planting everything by now, but we’re still waiting for the rains to plant sorghum and cowpea.”
He further explained that the northern sector has been cold for almost three weeks, with insufficient sunshine to trigger the transpiration and evaporation needed to form rain, exacerbating the drought’s effects.
Source:Omanghana.com
