No food crisis in Volta Region - MoFA assures
There is no imminent food crisis in the Volta Region in spite of the widespread destruction of crops in parts of the region by the recent floods, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has said.
“This is because the level of crop production per area put under cultivation is very high,” said the Regional Director of Agriculture, William Dzamefe.
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High production
In an interview yesterday[October 9,2022], after he toured some of the flooded areas in the Agotime-Ziope District, he said it was also gratifying that a high production level was recorded in the wake of a drastic fall in the use of fertilisers on the farms.
Mr Dzamefe gave an assurance that based on current weather forecasts, farmers could plant crops again and expect good yields.
Floods early last week submerged vast farmlands in the Agotime-Ziope and Adaklu districts.
These came about as a result of persistent rains in the area and neighbouring Togo, which caused River Tordze and its tributaries to overflow their banks, spreading out in massive volumes onto the farms.
In Kpetoe, the Agotime-Ziope District capital, the floods also filled 45 households and displaced about 105 people.
In the Adaklu District, the floods spared households and claimed only farmlands.
The worst affected areas were Waya, Anfoe, Torda and Kpodzi where farms were submerged from Sunday evening until Wednesday, when the floods started to recede.
Foodstuff
Vegetables and cereals such as maize, groundnut, tomatoes and pepper were the crops mostly affected in the two districts, known to be very important food producing areas in the Volta Region.
“For now, it is difficult to assess the total damage caused by the floods,” said Mr Dzamefe.
He also touched on livestock, and said a total amount of GH¢90,000 had been paid out to 20 poultry farmers who lost their poultry recently to bird flu in Akatsi and its environs.
As of yesterday, the floods on the farms in the two districts had largely receded.