Drought: GH¢1.18bn agric investment in danger

Over GH¢1.18 billion investment in agriculture in the country is at risk as the nation experiences drought across the middle and northern belts.

This is the amount invested by farmers into agriculture in the middle and northern areas of the country, the Ghana Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (GIRSAL) has said.

The threat comes as the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) predicts that areas within the transition zone of the country are likely to experience longer than usual dry spells this year which may result in severe drought.

The agency has consequently advised farmers to invest more in the seeds of improved varieties and also practise the development of yield enhancement techniques for both food crops and cash crops.

The GMet has also recommended to farmers in areas that are likely to observe normal to above normal rainfall, late season start dates and short to normal dry spells, especially those in the east coast, to focus on short maturation crops.

The Ghana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) has urged government to urgently prioritise irrigation and technological interventions in the face of the impact of climate change on the traditional farming culture in the country.

Indeed, GMet has forecasted that areas such as Cape Coast (West Coast) and Ada (East Coast) will have dry spells of eight to 10 days and 13 to 16 days respectively.

GIRSAL, which provides guarantee for the farmers to secure loans from banks for their businesses, has supported 34,000 farmers to undertake various projects in farming, the Chief Operating Officer of GIRSAL, Samuel Yeboah, has confirmed to the Daily Graphic.

Drought

The inadequate rainfall has resulted in a long period of drought in parts of the country, prompting fears of food insecurity.

Experts predict that food production in the areas considered to be the biggest agricultural zones of the country is likely to drop significantly if the situation continues in the next few weeks.

Despite some rainfall in the middle and northern parts of the country, the general forecast from GMet suggests prolonged drought that distorts the regular rainfall pattern in the country.

GAWU’s appeal

GAWU appealed to government to provide financial support to farmers to redeem loans accessed from financial institutions for the current crop season.

The General Secretary of GAWU, Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe, said the current drought being experienced across the country would make the loan repayment difficult for farmers.

He said such a support from government would only serve as a short-term measure to free farmers temporarily from the shackles of debt repayment in the wake of the prevailing drought.

For the long term, however, Mr Addoquaye Tagoe said very drastic measures, including irrigation and the application of technology, were needed to address potential food crisis arising from distorted weather conditions driven by climate change.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic on the impact of drought on local farmers, the GAWU General Secretary said: “It’s not just a farmers’ problem; it’s a national problem”.

Mr Addoquaye Tagoe said the nation would have to invest in irrigation and appropriate technology to enhance agricultural production given the imminence of climate change and its effects on food production and food security.

“Government must come to the aid of farmers. We are looking towards government at this critical time because it is difficult for farmers to meet the loan repayment terms,” he said.

He said the sector also needed to invest in research to tackle practical issues.

GMet’s advice

The Deputy Director and Head of Research and Applied Meteorology at the agency, Francisca Martey, advised farmers to be mindful of the decisions and choices they made since there was the likelihood of moisture deficit towards the end of the season, coupled with the fact that the season was shorter.

She also urged farmers to diversify income-generating activities and promote agricultural practices such as no-tillage, mulching, market gardening and agroforestry to offset the production deficit that could affect areas exposed to dry spells at the tail end of the season.

Furthermore, Mrs Martey urged them to liaise with the GMet and agricultural and hydrological authorities for information and expert advice.

In places where the rainy season would be wetter, she said there were higher levels of risk of cholera, malaria, dengue fever, bilharzia and diarrhoea.

To mitigate the development of germs and reduce the risk of diseases, she recommended that public education should be intensified through national platforms on disaster risk reduction.

She also recommended a collaboration among stakeholders such as the meteorological, hydrological and the disaster management organisations.

Weather forecast

According to GMet’s forecast, the dry spell in the coastal region was projected to vary from normal to long, with Cape Coast expected to experience the highest number of dry days.

The forest and transition zones had also been forecasted to exhibit similar patterns, with expectations of short to normal dry spells, where most areas would likely encounter normal durations of dry days.

Also, most stations in the rest of the southern sector were expected to have short to normal dry spells between five and nine days.

In a September-October-November seasonal report made available to the Daily Graphic, the GMeT predicted above normal to normal rainfall for the extreme north and the forest zone.

The northern part of the country was also forecasted to experience mostly normal rainfall in areas such as Bole, Damongo, Tamale, Yendi, Bimbilla and Salaga.

However, the report said Salaga and its surrounding communities were likely to experience above-normal rainfall.

In the transition and middle zones, the report said most areas would experience short to normal seasonal durations.

However, it said areas such as Abetifi and Koforidua were expected to have longer than the normal seasonal durations.

Over the coast, it forecasted that most areas would have a long to normal seasonal durations except Half Assini and Ada which could likely have a short seasonal durations.

Flood

At the peak of the September-October-November season, the forecast said there was a high probability of a few incidents of heavy rain accompanied by strong winds and lightning which could lead to localised floods.

It also said there was a high risk of flood in the northern half of the country due to the impact of the rain and the likelihood of the spillage of the Bagre dam in Burkina Faso.

The forecast also predicted that flash floods might occur especially in the low lying areas of Accra and Kumasi during the September to November season which might lead to some roads becoming impassable.