Most Watermelon Farmers at Afienya in the Greater Accra region are withdrawing from the business as the crops lack water to enhance their development. According to them, they have not recorded even a single drop of rain water to plant their fruits in the minor season.
Speaking on the Akuafo Sisen segment on Ritefm, Mr. Isaac Quarshie who happens to be one of the vegetable and fruits farmers explained that, the situation has made the control of diseases very difficult and uncontrollable on their farms because they only depended on water pumps in watering the fruits which is not enough for driving away the diseases.
He said, they have put their problem before the Agric Extension Officers in the area but the Extension Officers were equally helpless and attributed the spread of the disease to lack of rain. Mr. Quarshie noted that farmers in the area are shifting their attention on to onion growing as their preferred choice of watermelon farming reels under the severe drought.
Source: ritefmonline.org
Why aren’t they turning to irrigation. We al know that due to climate change rainfall patterns are no longer reliable. They need education and support. So who should they turn to? Who goes to their aid? The cry of farmers must be heard and they shouldn’t just left to their fate