Farmers undecided when to start planting due to change in weather pattern

The 2023 Best Farmer of Awutu-Senya-East Municipality, Mr. Richmond Attakurah, has urged the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), to provide farmers with timely information on weather patterns for them to know when to start planting.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), he said farmers lacked adequate information on weather due to changes in weather patterns which had led to crop yield loses in previous years.

He expressed concern about the change this year as the harmattan had become severe in the latter part of January than its normal season which started from December.

The 2023/2024 harmattan advisory updates released by GMet, said; ‘a dry north easterly wind accompanied by dusty conditions from the Sahel had intensified and would engulf most parts of the country and that was anticipated to span into the latter part of the month of December 2023 with dry and hazy weather conditions prevailing over the country,” however, it had further spanned into the latter part of January 2024.

The release urged farmers to prioritise irrigation systems for high-value cash crops.

But Mr Attakurah, said the municipality had few irrigation systems, compelling farmers to depend heavily on rainfall for planting for some years now.

He added that the planting season was setting in, however, some farmers were undecided when to start planting because of the change in weather pattern.

“We will appeal to the Ghana Meteorological Agency to assist us with information because observing from how things are going this year, we are confused, “added.

Source: GNA

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