Authorities of Savanna Agriculture Research Institute (SARI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has called on Government to introduce artificial rainfall technology in Northern Ghana to save the area from imminent famine as a result of the prolong drought in the area. They noted that since 2003, a trend of reduced amount of rainfall had been observed in Northern Ghana and this had been reflected in the near-droughty conditions in most parts of the area for the past few years. Dr Abdulai Salifu, Director of SARI made the call at a press briefing on the drought situation in Northern Ghana at Nyankpala. He said in 2005, the total rainfall recorded was 74 per cent of a 50-year average of 1,016 millimeters, which was regarded as normal, while that of 2006 was 78 per cent. Dr Salifu said June and July were the key rainy season months for good crop establishment and consequent performance in Northern Ghana but noted however that the rainfall assessment data for June 2007 indicated that there were five rainfall events with only two of them equal to or greater than 10 millimeters. He noted that it had been two weeks into July and the rainfall situation was no better while at the same time forecast from Meteorological Services and NASA sites for the month indicated no rainfall precipitation for at least up to the third week of the month. Dr Salifu said the situation as at now was not encouraging and presented a major potential setback for food security and poverty reduction in Northern Ghana. "There is the dire need to mitigate the current state of affairs with respect to the absence of rain," Dr Salifu stressed. Source: GNA