Dry spells set off GH¢22.2bn crop losses
- Grains Council advocates sustainable agric practices
By Wisdom JONNY-NUEKPE
Data from the Ghana Grains Council (GGC) point out that dry spells and drought circumstances have affected 1.8 million hectares of agricultural land within the nation, leading to crop income losses amounting to some GH¢22.2billion in 2023 and 2024.
The Council famous that the Northern and Savannah Regions – that are answerable for a good portion of the nation’s maize, millet, sorghum and rice – had been hit the toughest.
According to GGC, maize yields fell by 35 % and rice manufacturing by 25 %, with millet and sorghum yields dropping by some 20 % this yr.
The Council’s Executive Secretary, Emily Boahen – who was addressing stakeholders on the Ghana Grains Forum in Accra on Tuesday, mentioned grains, significantly maize, have grow to be important to the nation’s financial system and their cultivation have to be prioritised.
She mentioned this commodity alone accounted for half of the nation’s whole cereal manufacturing, with over two million smallholder farmers relying on corn for his or her livelihoods.
Despite alternatives, the grain sector, in accordance with Madam Boahen, faces a number of challenges – together with low productiveness, inconsistent entry to inputs for farmers, publicity to international market fluctuations and local weather variability, amongst others.
Addressing these challenges, GGC famous that it’s essential to make sure the grains sector continues contributing positively to Ghana’s financial development and meals safety.
Apart from local weather change and drought circumstances that are banes of the grain manufacturing sector, GGC additionally confirmed that galamsey, post-harvest losses and market entry stay key challenges.
With the nation shedding roughly 1.46 million hectares of tree cowl within the final twenty years – a lot of it attributable to mining actions and environmental degradation, the Council maintains these actions have degraded massive tracts of arable land and polluted water-bodies…. which has additional exacerbated challenges confronted by farmers.
Equally, postharvest losses within the grain trade stays alarmingly excessive, with estimates suggesting that 30-40 % of grains are misplaced yearly attributable to insufficient storage, transportation and processing amenities.
These losses, the Council defined, cut back the profitability of farming for smallholders and contribute to meals insecurity.
But Madam Boahen mentioned funding in rural infrastructure, together with roads, storage amenities and market platforms, are key to decreasing the losses and enhancing entry to markets.
She mentioned different complicated challenges which have to be addressed embody increasing entry to finance for farmers, strengthening regional collaborations, enhancing analysis and growth amongst others.
About the Ghana Grains Forum
Under the theme ‘Climate Change and Sustainable Food Security: Collaborative Responses to Ghana’s Grain Crisis’, the Forum was hosted to present stakeholders a platform for discussing a number of challenges which have overwhelmed the sector.
A panel comprising seasoned agriculturalists and farmers, together with first feminine Dean-School of Agriculture, University of Ghana, Prof. Irene Susana Egyir; Agriculturalist, Prof Abu Sakara; and CEO-Agri Impact, Mr. Daniel Fahene Acquaye amongst others.
At the Forum, the specialists suggested stakeholders to prioritise and show dedication to sustainable farming practices so as to improve resilient meals programs.
Stakeholders additionally admitted that the droughts have threatened to wipe out billions of cedis invested; and the ban on grain exports, although crucial, tends to problem native grain producers’ competitiveness.
