Production targets for maize and rice in the Upper East Region are unlikely to be met due to prolonged dry spells experienced by farmers.
Upper East regional director for Agriculture, Alhaji Fuseini Zakaria, told Asaase News that the extended absence of rain forced farmers who had ploughed and prepared their lands for rice and maize to switch to less water-demanding crops like cowpea.
However, farms where rice and maize had been planted fully recovered when the rains resumed. Zakaria explained that during the height of the dry spell, Minister for Food and Agriculture Bryan Acheampong formed a team to visit the worst-affected areas.
The worst-affected areas in the Upper East Region were Garu, Talensi, and Tempane. The Regional MoFA Director confirmed that all severely impacted farms have now fully recovered.
He said, “When the situation became alarming, the national minister constituted response teams. One such team arrived promptly to address the most severe cases, like those reported from Talensi, Garu and Tempane. These situations were prioritised, and we proceeded with the team. Although we experienced a dry spell, once the rain resumed, most of the damage to the crops that were supposedly affected was mitigated.”
“Some fields were ploughed with the intention of planting maize, but due to a lack of moisture, planting could not be carried out. Consequently, they had to switch to crops like cowpea. This shift had a significant impact on rice and maize production.”
“Fields that had been ploughed with the expectation of moisture but were left dry had to be replanted with cowpea, which had not been part of the original plan. As a result, the area allocated for maize cultivation will inevitably be affected, given our production targets.”
It would be noted that at a recent press conference in Accra, Minister for Food and Agriculture Bryan Acheampong announced a temporary ban on the export of grains.
According to the Upper East regional director of Food and Agriculture, the ban is timely.
“The little that we have, we must manage carefully. We are not working in isolation; we are coordinating with security agencies, who are leading these efforts. I have personally visited Paga to work with plant protection regulatory officers who are ensuring that no grain is moved out of the region through those checkpoints. There are additional checkpoints that we still need to address.”
“We commend the Minister for implementing this policy; it is a necessary measure. Just like in Burkina Faso, where they collect grains when prices are low and store them in warehouses. The next time when prices are good, they bring it back. And in that case, we are suffering, we are losers,” he said.
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