Food crisis looms as rainfall pattern changes

Hohoe, Oct 05, GNA - An improvement in the minor rainy season could avert a looming food catastrophe in the country, Mr Geoffrey Honu, Hohoe District Director of Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), has said. He said the over-reliance on rain-fed agriculture and the high risk of unpredictability should be mitigated by high-tech all-year-round availability of water to reduce food price hikes. Mr Honu, who spoke to the GNA in an interview, said since agriculture and poverty reduction were bedfellows there was the need for adequate technology transfer and credit facilities to address post harvest losses.

"The ability to adequately feed ourselves and still have enough for export will be dependent on how we change our attitude to agriculture". Mr Honu described the current ratio of one extension officer to 1,500 farmers as unhealthy.

Mr Vence Kwame Vorvor, the Hohoe District Management Information Officer of MOFA, said a total of 617.4 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in the Hohoe District between January and August as against 861.2 mm recorded the same period in 2004. He said prices of foodstuffs have gone up arbitrarily as a result of the rainfall pattern with a kilo of maize averagely selling at 3,832 cedis this year as against 1,955 in 2004.