Agriculturist condemns the use of polluted water for vegetables

Kumasi, Feb. 18, GNA - Mr A.K Abu Seidu, Director of Eatwell Practical Rabbitery International, a Non-Government Organisation (NGO), which seeks to promote the protein in-take of Ghanaians, has called on organised groups to openly condemn the use of dirty and polluted water by some vegetable farmers to water their crops.

He said the practice exposes consumers to health hazards, since vegetables are eaten raw and fresh and therefore it is difficult to get rid of the pollutants on the vegetables at the time of consumption. Mr Seidu made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Ejisu on Monday.

Mr Seidu said the unhealthy practice was solely confined to vegetable farmers in the urban and peri-urban areas, who used filthy water from gutters and dirty ponds on their vegetables, and called for an instant halt to the practice.

"It is the good health of the consumers that keep them alive to continue to patronise their products, and they should therefore, strive at all cost as farmers to provide consumers with quality vegetables in order to remain in business".

He said one way by which such unpatriotic vegetable farmers could be made to stop the unhealthy practice is for the sellers to shun supplies from them, no matter how cheap they may be, and turn to alternative source of supply for more hygienic vegetables.

Mr Seidu observed that in the case of those who grow vegetables in the rural areas, even though they grow their crop with clean water, they are also guilty of farming along stream and river banks, thereby causing water bodies to dry up.

He advised them to also adopt environmentally friendly methods of growing their vegetables to enhance and conserve the environment for future use.