By Mohammed Balu
Tumu (UWR), Sept. 11, GNA – Several acres of food crops, including maize and soybean, are withering in parts of the Sissala East and Sissala West districts due to a prolonged dry spell.
After nearly a month of inadequate rainfall, farmers are increasingly worried about crop failure and their ability to recover investments made in production.
Farmers across the two districts said the dry spell, which had become particularly severe since early August, was causing maize plants to turn yellow, while crops that had begun to tassel were drying up.
Some farmers told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in interviews that rainfall since May 2026 had generally been below expectations, with the situation worsening in recent weeks.
In some areas, rain had either been completely absent or occurred in small amounts that were insufficient to sustain the crops.
Mr Shaibu Dimah, a maize farmer from Bujan, said he had not received meaningful rainfall on his farm for about four weeks.
He said the situation was particularly worrying because farmers had already invested significant resources in their farms despite the low prices they received for their produce during the previous season.
“Last year it was difficult to sell our maize, but as farmers we had to manage to sell at those poor prices to go to the farm.
“It’s been about four weeks since my crops received any proper rain, and they are drying up.
“This is very serious. I don’t know how we are going to survive. The cost we have endured will take several years for us to overcome,” he lamented.
Mr Abu, a farmer from Welembelle, appealed to the government to intervene and support farmers in the area who had been affected by the drought.
“The government must find a way to help these maize farmers who have invested everything into their farms only for the rains to fail them. I have never seen rainfall so poor as this year. This is a waste of time,” he decried.
Mr Fataw Ayamga, an environmental conservationist, described the situation as a crisis in an area he called the “breadbasket of Ghana.”
He said rising cultivation costs had already forced many smallholder farmers to reduce the amount of land they cultivated, while increasingly unpredictable weather patterns were now threatening the crops they had managed to plant.
Mr Ayamga warned that if the dry conditions continued, the consequences could extend beyond individual farmers and affect food prices and national food security.
“If the skies remain shut for another week, crop failure won’t just hit farmers’ pockets, it will trigger a national food insecurity crisis, driving grain prices out of reach for millions.
“The crops are standing suspended in a fight for survival, and time is running out,” he observed.
Madam Damsta Issifu, a farmer, prayed for the rains to come to avert the double problem confronting farmers.
Alhaji Jibiliru Nankpa of Augustine’s Farms said he had more than 1,000 acres of maize at the tasselling stage.
He said the cessation of rainfall meant two straight years of losses as a farmer, describing the situation as unbearable.
The farmers fear that continued dry conditions could result in significant losses of maize, soybean and other food crops, worsening the financial difficulties of households that depend heavily on farming.
Some of the affected farmers are therefore appealing to the government and relevant agricultural authorities to assess the situation and provide support as the cropping season approaches a critical stage.
GNA
Edited by Audrey Dekalu
Reporter: Mohammed Balu, GNA