The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has admitted that it was unprepared for the severity of the ongoing drought that has ravaged northern Ghana.

This follows reports that the lack of rainfall has affected crop growth, leaving farmers with little hope for a successful harvest.

Read also: Farmers count their losses as dry spell jeopardises crop yields

Speaking on the matter, the Ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Tanko Bagbara acknowledged that despite close collaboration with the Ghana Meteorological Agency, the Ministry did not anticipate the drought would escalate to such critical levels.

He emphasised that nature is unpredictable, making it difficult to foresee such extreme conditions.

“The Ministry over the period has worked closely with the meteorological station and we do heed their advice, but we did not foresee this and I do not want to blame anybody because all I know is that nature is something you cannot predict naturally to the letter,” he said.

Read also: Food shortage looms as lack of rains in Northern Region threaten food sufficiency

He further revealed that MoFA is currently gathering data on affected farmers in eight regions, including the Upper East and Northern regions.

This data collection, according to him, will guide the government’s forthcoming interventions to address the situation.

“The ministry is actively collecting information on the affected areas, and soon, the government will announce measures to mitigate the drought’s impact,” he said.

He also expressed concern about the potential impact on food security, noting that many farms have been completely lost and cannot be recovered, even if the rains resume.

Already, President Akufo-Addo has hinted at imminent government interventions to support farmers and mitigate the effects of the drought on the region’s food supply.