More than hundred acres of farmland in the Anloga District of the Volta Region, have been submerged in recent floods after heavy downpour in the area.
The situation has further brought significant hardship to the communities affected, destroying approximately 1,200 acres of farmland and affecting about 600 farmers.
Mr Richard Agbemasor, a tomato farmer at Anloga told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that most farm products were destroyed, highlighting the scale of loss faced by many local farmers who rely on farming for livelihoods.
“Crops were submerged leading to considerable economic hardship for those of us who are dependent on agriculture for living, we need help from all manner of people,” he said.
He explained that a significant number of farmers have been directly impacted by the floods and many have faced various challenges in recovering from the losses particularly those who invested a lot of money into the farming business.
He said that farm products such as tomato, okro, carrots, pepper, lettuce, and others were destroyed by the devastating flood and the consequences would go a long way to affect farmers’ income and investment during the next farming season.
“The floods pose a threat not only to food security but also to the economic stability of farming households, this has never happened to us before. We need immediate intervention to regain losses,” Mr Agbemasor said.
Madam Selina Adzo Amegorme, another farmer, said efforts to support affected farmers should include government aid, NGO interventions, or community-led initiatives to mitigate the impact of such calamities.
She added that the destruction of farmlands raised concern about food security in the region and with the lost, there could be implications for local food, including unavailability and price hike, which could eventually affect both producers and consumers.
She called for a coordinated response effort, involving local authorities including the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), humanitarian organisations, and possibly, international aid to support them to recover and rebuild.
To recover from the floods situation in the area would require concerted efforts from various stakeholders such as the District Chief Executive, heads of institutions, and others to support the affected farmers, which is deemed crucial for restoring agricultural productivity and livelihoods in Anloga district.
Other information GNA picked revealed that the department of agriculture, NADMO and other relevant organisations have commenced investigation into the situation for furthet attention.
GNA
