Fanteakwa tomato farmers misapplying chemicals

Begoro, Aug. 28, GNA- The Fanteakwa District Deputy Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Mr Kingsley Osei-Nimo expressed worry about the misapplication of agro-chemicals meant for pineapple production on tomatoes in the area

He, however, said the Ministry would educate the farmers, who were applying the agro-chemicals to the vegetable to enable the fruits ripe quickly, on the health implications of the practice.

Mr Osei-Nimo was speaking at the mid-year performance review meeting of the Ghana Health Service staff at Begoro on at the Weekend. He appealed to the farmers to approach experts for the right agro-chemicals for their crops.

Mr Osei-Nimo reminded the vegetable farmers who misapplied agro-chemicals that the practice was detrimental to human health. He observed that this year, most cassava and maize crops farmers have shifted to the cultivation of tomatoes thereby causing scarcity of maize and cassava.

Mr Osei-Nimo said MOFA has provided sufficient seed maize and agro-chemicals for the production of the two crops in the district. He said due to effective post-harvest measures put in place by MOFA, there post harvest loses recorded last year in the district were minimal.

The District Fire Officer, Mr Emmanuel R. M. Nai, said the inadequate number of fire service personnel and the lack of telecommunication network at the station, hampered the effective operation of the unit.

He asked farmers to abide by bushfire laws and to contact fire volunteers before setting fire to cleared farm lands to prevent bush fires.