Continuous rainfall disrupts farming activities in Bawku

Continuous rainfall in the Bawku area is disrupting farming activities, especially, harvesting, as farmers are unable to access their farms or dry out the harvested crops.

This has left farmers worried about the safety of their farms and the high possibility of post-harvest losses in the area.

Majority of farmers who cultivated maize, millet and sorghum cannot harvest their ripe crops for fear of moulds as there was no sunshine and many farms were dump due to the heavy rains that have resulted in flooded roads leading to the farms.

“We are unable to go to the farms and harvest and transport the produce to storage facilities or the market because of the rains,” farmers who spoke to the GNA in Bawku, Upper East Region, said.

Mr Charles Akwotigah, the Bawku Municipal Director of Agriculture, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, expressed concern over the phenomenon and said if the situation continues there might be too much post-harvest losses.

He said farmers were expecting the rains to stop at the end of September, but unfortunately, it did not stop but got heavier in the present harvest period posing a challenge for storage.

“Many farmers were relying on the ‘one district one warehouse’ initiative, but these facilities are yet to be completed even though this time would have been most appropriate for it”.

Mr Akwotigah said farmers who had their farms across rivers and waterlogged areas were having problems accessing their farms and communities such as Jentiga, Kuka, in the Bawku Municipality, Kulungugu in the Pusiga District, Denugu in Garu District, Sapelga in the Bawku West District among others were likely to experience post-harvest losses due to the rains.

He said high post-harvest loses would likely affect the expected good harvest in the area, “It is unfortunate that the heavy rains might jeopardize the lucrative planting for food and jobs initiative this year,” he added.