The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, has stated that the ongoing dry spell affecting eight regions in Ghana should not be classified as a national security crisis.

According to the minister, while the dry spell has caused substantial losses for farmers, it remains a situational crisis.

Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story, he asserted that the government has the capacity to address the situation without compromising the livelihoods of farmers or the stability of the nation’s food systems.

• Read also: Dry Spell: Affected farmers have lost investment of GH₵3.5bn – Agric Minister

“Not entirely. You have enough information and intelligence to know when the asteroids, in this case, will hit. What we are doing now is to put in measures that by the end of September or October, we have enough grains.

"So, we are not calling it a national security crisis; we are not declaring a state of emergency. We are calling it a situational crisis,” he stressed.

• Read also: Dry spell: Government bans export of grains with immediate effect

He further elaborated that the term “situational crisis” is appropriate because the primary concern lies in the significant financial losses incurred by farmers at the start of the crop season.

The Minister also stressed that declaring a state of emergency is unnecessary, as it involves elements that could infringe on personal rights, which is not warranted in this scenario under Articles 31 and 32 of the Constitution.

• Read also: Dry spell: Government bans export of grains with immediate effect

In the meantime, the government has imposed a ban on the exportation of grains, including maize, rice, and soybean, to ensure food security within the country.

The Minister reassured the public that proactive measures are being implemented to stabilise the situation and mitigate the impact on farmers and the broader economy.