General Secretary of the General Agricultural Workers Union Mr. Edward Kareweh has stated that the spillage which affected some people in the Volta region could result in food shortage in the region.
Speaking on Plan B FM’s late afternoon show EBAANOSEN hosted by Ohene Kinnah, Mr. Kareweh stressed that the government needs to import more food into the country because the spillage has destroyed many farms in the region.
He stressed that to salvage these problems the government needs to devote some money to farming in the area to revitalize the farming expedition to reengage the youth to avoid unemployment.
“if the agricultural minister is saying, there are available 400 million dollars for agriculture in the country, then I will plead with him to support farming activities in the region but should make sure that the money will get into the right hands for its intended purpose”
The Sene East MP, Dominic Napaare has warned of acute food shortage and hunger next year if extraordinary measures are not taken to ramp up food production. He said this is due to the floods in so many communities caused by the overflow of the Volta Lake and the spillage of the Akosombo Dam.
For weeks now, thousands of residents in parts of the Volta, Eastern, and Greater Accra Regions have been displaced, with their homes submerged and properties, including farmlands, destroyed due to the spillage of excess water from the dam.
The Volta River Authority (VRA) says it has concluded the spillage of the dam, however, the flood waters are yet to fully recede in several of the affected communities.
According to the legislator, several hectares of farms that focus on cultivating rice, yam, and other food crops have been taken over the flood waters with no effort from the government to resettle them and give them another chance at cropping.
“There would be serious hunger this year because of the destruction of the farmlands and other properties,” he said.
Also, MP for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has been taking on the government for what he says is the silence on compensating victims of the Akosombo Dam spillage-induced floods.
“We have not heard anything about compensation apart from the need to relocate people out of the schools. People have lost everything they have worked for their farms, livestock, homes, etc why is the VRA silent on compensation? Why have they not asked community leaders to submit the documentation that we possess? People should not think that they can create this man-made disaster and get away with it,” he said.
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