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Acute food shortage looms in three
northern regions
Nanton (N/R), July 13, GNA - Mr. Sylvester Adongo, the
Northern Regional Director of Food and Agriculture, has said
the three northern regions would experience an acute food
shortage if it failed to rain within a week in the Northern
Region.
He said the prolonged drought in 10 districts of the region
and some parts of the Upper East and Upper West regions was
affecting the growth of crops.
Experts have described crops on some farms as "being at
their permanent wilting point" and no amount of rainfall can
bring them back to life.
Mr. Adongo said this when he conducted Alhaji Mustapha Ali
Idris, the Northern Regional Minister, to inspect crops that
had been badly affected by the prolonged drought in the
region.
The Regional Director explained that if the rains set in now
farmers could still plant fresh crops such as maize,
groundnuts and millet and these could be harvested in three
months' time.
"But no crop would survive after July 20, no matter how
extensive the rain falls."
Mr. Adongo said the region had never experienced drought
such as this year's apart from the "1983 national drought"
that affected cocoa and food crop farms, bringing in its
wake hunger in the country.
He said losses in maize production ranged from 50 to 100 per
cent, groundnuts from 70 to 100 per cent, soybean 70 to 100
per cent and yam from 10 to 15 per cent.
Alhaji Idris expressed regret at the rate of crop damage
caused by the drought and called for early intervention to
address the situation.
He appealed to religious bodies to step up their prayers for
rain to avert an acute food crisis.
GNA
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