After a year of introducing smallholder farmers to the Forest Watcher Mobile App, the Rainforest Alliance counts their achievement of growing and monitoring over 9,000 trees in the Sui River landscape.
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CropLife to liaise with GSA to rid the market of fake agrochemicals.
As part of measures to get rid of fake and illegal agrochemicals on the market, CropLife Ghana has taken steps to coordinate with the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to identify hotspot areas where some of these products are heavily distributed across the country.
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Excessive chemical fertiliser use degrades farmlands, affecting food security.
Chief Corporate Communications Officer-Jospong Group of Companies, Sophia Kudjordji, has revealed that excessive use of chemical fertiliser is removing nutrients from fertile lands and rendering farmlands less viable for agricultural production purposes; a situation likely to bring about food shortages in the near future.
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Post-harvest losses compelling farmers to reduce farm sizes – PFAG.
Perennial post-harvest losses, according to the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), have compelled many farmers to reduce their farm sizes – a situation that can cause food shortage and worsen the current upsurge of food prices in the country.
Dr. Charles Nyaaba, the Executive Director of PFAGy, says inadequate technology, poor storage facilities, bad roads and even improper handling of produce have been the main driving factors of post-harvest losses, hence the need for government to step up efforts to address the age-old problem.
“The country’s post-harvest situation has not experienced any positive change. The infrastructure and feeder roads to farming communities are still bad. “Farms have to sell their produce on time to avoid keeping them and encountering post-harvest losses. There are other instances when farmers have to ensure that they do not produce in large quantities, so they reduce their farm sizes to what they can take care of,”.
Data from the Ghana Statistical Service indicate that food inflation hit 30.7 percent in June, representing 1.6 percentage points higher than the non-food basket which recorded 29.1 percent.
For Dr. Nyaaba, government must prioritise and intentionally invest in the agriculture sector, as farmers continue to use primitive methods in production.
“If you take a crop like soya beans, farmers have to harvest using their hands; and because the rainfall patterns are not reliable, if they are unable to harvest them on time. They scatter and can have about 40 percent losses. Same for rice, especially when access to combine harvesters is difficult and expensive during the time other farmers are also harvesting. I once lost part of my rice farm to bush-fire because we could not finish early,” he noted.
Declined quality Discussing post-harvest handling of grain at the recent Ghana Commodity Exchange (GCX) webinar ahead of harvesting time, Chief Scientific Officer at the Ghana Standard Authority, Dr. Roseline Esi Amoah, noted that there will always be poor quality of produce – especially when farmers do not have much knowledge of handling and adequate technology to make the products sound and proper for the market.
“At each stage, it is very important for farmers to know how to handle the grain. Because at each stage there is a quality loss. Now, we have farmers who can leave harvested grain on the field because they do not have enough technology. If you have a mechanical thresher, it is easier; but if you are going to do it by stripping and rubbing you will have a lot of broken grain with dust and chaff, and that can cause insect infestation,” she said.
She added that without proper storage facilities, produce is left on the field at the mercy of the weather; meanwhile, improper handling can lead to microbes, aflatoxin and other mycotoxin infestation of grain, making it unsafe.
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Cassava, a staple crop that sustains a continent.
Cassava has become such a staple in Africa that many may be shocked to find out that it is not an indigenous root to the continent.
It is originally a South American root vegetable that was brought to Africa by Portuguese traders in the 16th century.
Nigeria is the world’s leading cassava producer. So, what makes it so versatile? Cassava is quite easy to grow. It flourishes in low-rainfall areas with poor soil.
It’s a perennial crop with a long harvesting season and it is versatile to grow due to its non-seasonal character. Unlike other basic foods, cassava-based meals are widely consumed throughout Africa.
An investigation conducted by the NCBI showed that cassava was introduced to Burkina Faso, former Upper Volta from the costal countries, Gold Coast (now Ghana), by both local traders and the Roman Catholic missionaries.
This happened between the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The main variety introduced was banfti.
Some improved varieties like Banké and KTMA developed by research are now available and used by farmers, along with the traditional varieties like manchien, santidougou, tchinda yaar and léo. “The top of cassava production is reached in July. Most of the small‐scale farmers (98%) grow cassava both for household use and as income generator.
About 83.92% of farmers have less than 10 tons as annual production and only 1.72% of them can produce more than 100 tons.
The main food products based on cassava found in communities are raw roots, boiled roots, roasted roots, tô, attiéké, tapioca, ragout, beignets, boiled leaves, soup (with leaves), cassava juice, etc. And the main cassava‐processed products in the processing units are attiéké, gari, tapioca, and flour,” the study said. “Cassava contributes greatly to household food security during food shortage period. It sustains families for weeks as food and is also exchanged with other foods or sold to buy food or meet household needs.”
The dangers of consuming raw, unwashed cassava This root vegetable can be harmful if eaten uncooked, in excessive quantities or prepared incorrectly.
Cyanogenic glycosides are compounds found in raw cassava. These can cause your body to emit cyanide if you eat them. Consuming cyanogenic glycosides on a regular basis or in large quantities raises the risk of cyanide poisoning.
Thyroid and nerve dysfunction, paralysis, organ damage and even death have all been linked to cyanide overdose. Because protein aids in the removal of cyanide from the body, people with a poor nutritional condition and a low protein consumption are more prone to suffer from these side effects.
These toxic compounds are reduced in cassava after it has been soaked and cooked. Furthermore, combining the root vegetable with a well-balanced, high-protein diet may lower your chance of negative health results.
In September 2017, a suspected cyanide poisoning epidemic in western Uganda resulted in 98 illnesses and two deaths. The outbreak was traced back to eating a cassava flour dish made from wild cassava cultivars with significant cyanogenic content, according to epidemiological and analytical findings.
Uses for cassava
Chips. Cassava chips are a delicious and healthy snack, made from diced, salted and fried cultivars with lower cyanide levels. The chips, also known as bobozee and abacha mmiri in Nigeria, are produced from boiling, fermented and sliced cassava tubers. Groundnuts and coconuts are used to enjoy this delicacy.
Flour. Cassava flour is prepared from dried tubers that have been chopped and fermented. The tubers are pounded into powder after drying to make a silky white flour. The vegetable can be mashed with sorghum and millet in Uganda. Bread, cookies and pudding are all made from cassava flour. The pudding is produced with hot water and served with local soups as a main course.
Fufu. Another popular dish is fufu, that is prepared by cooking and pounding fermented cassava tubers into a pulp. Traditional soups are served with fufu. Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and Sierra Leone are among the countries in West Africa where this cuisine is popular.
Beer. In 2011, a business in Mozambique started making the world’s first cassava-brewed beer. The beer was once locally manufactured before the corporation began to manufacture and market it abroad. Other nations that make the beer include Nigeria, Ghana, Congo and Uganda.
A food additive. Processed cassava is used in confectionery and food industries to manufacture food additives like monosodium glutamate which is used as a spice. Caramel, a culinary colour used in drinks, is similarly made from cassava.
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Fertilizer Inflation Forces Overhaul of Brazil Ports, and Railways.
Brazil’s heavy dependence on fertilizer imports is leading to a major upgrade of the nation’s ports, railways and distribution centers.
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Kumbungu rice processing mill abandoned.
A rice mill located at Kpekparigu-Kukuo in the Kumbungu district of the Northern Region – meant to facilitate the processing of local rice produced within the area – has been abandoned for years, checks by the B&FT have confirmed.
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PFJ yields US$6bn worth of food in 5yrs.
The value of food commodities produced under the government’s flagship ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ (PFJ) programme was worth some US$6.1billion over the last five years, Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto has said.
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Agriculture is the best option to recover Ghana’s economy rather than going to IMF – Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana.
Interacting with the stakeholders following the recent intention of the government to engage the monetary policy institution to give it an image, help to sustain her fiscal policies, and give it an image that resonates with investors, the membership, and partners of the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana are plagued with a mix of expectations.
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Tomato scarcity looms as production sinks in Burkina Faso.
Ghana risks facing a tomato shortage as the former controls 90 percent of the commodity’s imports into the country.
As Burkina Faso battles with one of the worst growing seasons in recent years, Ghana risks facing a tomato shortage as the former controls 90 percent of the commodity’s imports into the country.
The growing season in Burkina Faso, over the last two years, has been facing challenges owing to extremely sparse rainfall in around 20 of the country’s 45 provinces – with experts predicting that the situation could persist, and even worsen in the near-future.
Data from the Ghana Incentive-Based Risk-Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (GIRSAL) indicate that Ghana currently imports 90 percent of its fresh tomatoes from Burkina Faso.
Tomatoes, according to GIRSAL, currently have a national consumption demand of 800,000 metric tonnes per annum. Local production however continues to slump, unable to meet half of consumption targets.
Equally, the tomato processing industry in Ghana remains small and relies heavily on imports of raw materials – concentrate and additives.
Meanwhile, processing plants installed in Pwalugwu, Techiman and Wenchi have all been shut down due to unavailability of quality raw materials at affordable prices. Ghana is estimated to consume more than 100,000 metric tonnes of tomato mix annually, apart from the fresh fruit.
Why situations in Burkina Faso may impact Ghana.
The Burkina Faso Ministry of Agriculture has said almost three million people are suffering from food insecurity, as new weather patterns have already turned 50,000 hectares of farmland into barren fields.
Last year, Burkina Faso experienced a 461,000-tonne grain and cash crop shortage countrywide.
Government figures have indicated that more than 450,000 hectares of arable land lay fallow in 2021 owing to rising levels of violence.
In June this year, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in a statement said: “Thousands of displaced people in Burkina Faso, facing both a major food crisis and an upsurge in armed violence, have come to rely entirely on government and humanitarian organisations.
They are forced to abandon their crops and means of livelihood; these people are now extremely vulnerable”.
The Red Cross however noted that over 32,000 people in the Est, Nord and Sahel regions – both residents and displaced people – were given crop seedlings, notable among which were tomato, onion, millet, sorghum and cowpea seeds in order to grow cash crops at the subsistence level.
These happenings, stakeholders have hinted, must be a guiding path for Ghana to begin the right processes to enhance domestic production with deliberate attempts to reduce imports.
Key issues remain with production in Ghana Low yields continue to remain one of the major challenges for tomato production in Ghana, as most farmers cultivate less than 10 metric tonnes per hectare against the potential of 20 metric tonnes per hectare.
Besides, poor agronomic practices, lack of varieties for commercial agro processing, as well as farmers still planting local varieties – typically with high water content, many seeds, poor colour and low brix level – have all been identified as key production setbacks.
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