About 600 farmers in Anloga in the Keta Municipality are counting losses after floods destroyed more than 1,200 acres of vegetable farms.
According to the District Director of Agriculture, Franklin Agbove, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, the disaster resulted from a long-day downpour on Friday, September 12, which submerged large portions of farmland.
Tomatoes suffered the most, he said, while shallots, onions, and pepper were severely affected.
“The vegetables were at the fruiting stage when the floods set in,” Mr Agbove added.
Even though the tomato season is over, the District Director indicated that the remaining shallots and onions could be ready for harvest in December. He, however, cautioned that the devastating incident could lead to an expected shortfall in onion harvests, which could result in importing from Burkina Faso and Nigeria to augment domestic demand.
The majority of the affected farmers are women, said Mr Agbove, adding that they are now facing huge income and job losses. Some farmers took loans to finance their business, making the disaster even more financially crippling.
The District Director of Agriculture, Franklin Above is calling on the government and non-governmental organisations in the agriculture sector to come to the aid of affected farmers with seeds and other inputs to help them recover.
With existing infrastructure and machines such as surface pumps, sprinkler heads, and wells, most of the farmers can recover from the disaster if they receive support.
Despite being a major hub for vegetable production in Ghana, Anloga’s low-lying terrain poses considerable risks to agricultural activities.
