A heavy downpour on friday, march 13 in the Volta region have submerged over 70 hectares of okro farms and destroying the crops worth millions of cedis in Akrofu within the Ho Municipality.
The entire farm was washed off by the flood and destroyed the crops which are less than four months to harvest, leaving the affected farmers in dismay and worried situation.
Class FM's visit to the farm on Tuesday, three days after the downpour, saw about 75 hectares of the farm flooded, leaving the greater portions of the crops dying, it leafs turning yellowish while some farmers who could not stay at home sitting on the farm aimlessly.
According to the farmers, most of whom are women indicated that, " it's a loan we've gone for from Weto Rural bank, some took 1,000, some 1,500 cedis, but look at the farm, there is nothing we can do now because it's too late and we cannot redirect the flood" a farmer told Class News.
Another affected farmer and a mother of 4 children revealed her plights, "it was a struggle we've been through to get the loans from Weto (Rural Bank) for this farm and now we cannot see the benefits of the money, so we're also just around thinking of how to get some other money to repay our debts, we're appealing, begging the government to intervene, we beg the government" she cried out.
The Assemblyman for the area, Hon. Forgive Osbert Komla Segbedeku told Class FM that, the farmers needs a permanent solution to the situation and called on the government and other relevant stakeholders to aid the affected farmers.
" we have about 70 plus acres of land here, it is not a group farm but individual farms and farmers on this farm actually actually access loan from Plan Ghana and Weto Rural Bank to have this farm, and as things stand now, we are pleading with government to actually come to the aid of these farmers to help them go and cultivate a different field to actually help them to offset their loans and then also we need a permanent solution to this flood….. so we want the various stakeholders, Agric extension, the MCE, regional Minister and other stakeholders to come and actually send their technocrats to come and do their feasibility and give us a way ahead so future generations wouldn't suffer this type of canker" He called for.
The affected farmers said, there is no option than to "quickly" cultivate another land for okro or go into another crops to enable them raise profit to settle their debts.
Affected farmers who were on the farm at the time of Class FM's visit looked worrisome, depressed and could not afford staying at home because of the money they have invested into the farm, they said, this was the first time they experienced such a flood and the future is unpredictable hence they need measures to enable them stay in business.
A National Disaster Management Organisation(NADMO) Officer from the Ho Municipal Assembly, Ms. Lovelace Alorsor said she will send the plights of the victims to her office for the needful approaches and supports.
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