Severe drought in Northern Ghana sparks fears of food insecurity

Northern Ghana is currently facing concerns about food security and the livelihoods of thousands of farmers due to a lack of rain.

The region has experienced a lack of rainfall for over two months, leading to stunted crop growth and diminishing hopes of a successful harvest.

Great losses have been recorded, with staples such as maize, rice, groundnuts, and millet withering due to drought, according to citinewsroom.com.

The continuous drought has resulted in a significant decrease in production, sparking fears of potential food shortages and an impending famine.

Some farmers expressed their fears to Channel One TV, stating that the damage caused by the drought may be irreversible even if the rain starts to fall.

One farmer said, “We would have harvested a long time ago if there had been rain. The corn would have been ready for us to harvest, but I think this is a disaster for us because you can see what is happening here. We are currently feeling hopeless.”

The 2021 National Best Farmer, Alhaji Mashoud Mohammed, who owns over 3,000 acres of farmland, lamented the impact of the drought on his operations and attributed it to climate change.

“Possibly, we may break even, but we doubt we will make profits. We are dealing with about 1,333 acres of maize fields, and almost 2,170 acres of rice, soya bean, and sorghum. Looking at the impact of this drought, by now, we should have finished planting everything, but we are still waiting for the rains to come so we can plant sorghum and cowpea.

“If you look at the northern sector, for almost three weeks now, the place is cold and sunshine is not hitting the earth’s surface very well to cause transpiration and evaporation to form rain, and this is where we are today with this drought,” Mohammed lamented.

RAD/MA

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