MCE worried about post-harvest loses

Mr Edward Ayagle Ayariba, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, has said Ghana loses about GH¢700,000 annually due to poor post-harvest management practices.

He said: “About 20 to 50 per cent of fruits, vegetables, tubers and root crops and about 20 to 30 per cent of cereals and legumes are lost annually and this has resulted in food insecurity in the country”.

Mr Ayariba, who made the observation during this year’s farmer’s day at Zaare, noted that both public and private interventions in agriculture were working towards increasing food production without considering effective strategies for food storage.

He stressed that in spite of the establishment of Food and Research Institutes affiliated to the Council for Scientific Research and the Department of Food Sciences at of the University of Ghana, much has not been achieved in the area of food security.

Mr Ayariba called on the public and private sector to collaborate and establish storage facilities to prevent post-harvest loses, and said the Government has established a food buffer zone in Tamale in the Northern Region.

He said the Municipality was faced with the problem of soil erosion, and said crop yield could reduce by 50 per cent within 30 to 50 years if the problem persisted.

Mr Ayariba said under the Rice Sub-sector Support Project, the Government has commenced the development of 650 hectares of land for farming at Yebongo, Kolgo, Polgo, Yaragabisi, Kalbeo and Gambibgo to increase rice production in the Municipality.

He said the Assembly had supported farmers with GH¢99,541 to cultivate 83 hectares of rice, 179 hectares of maize under the block farming system.

Mr Ayariba said about 120 farmers have been provided with 1,200 ruminants to rear to improve upon their standards of living.

The Secretary of the Coalition for the Advancement of Organic Farming, Mr Philip Ayamba, called on Government to encourage farmers to adopt organic farming to increase food production.

The Assembly member for the Zaare Electoral Area, Mr Abure Sanky, called on the authorities to establish markets for tomatoes and to revitalise the Northern Star Tomato Factory.

Source: GNA