Consider sowing drought-tolerant seed varieties- GMet

?The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has advised farmers, especially those in the food basket regions, to consider sowing seeds that can withstand drought to ensure food security.

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This is because those varieties of seeds have been specially bred to grow and produce even when rains fail for a period of time.

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The GMet says this year’s forecast shows that parts of the middle belt and northern regions were likely to experience early dry spells- days during the first 50 days after the start of the rain season.

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Madam Francisca Martey, Deputy Director in charge of Research and Applied Meteorology?at GMet gave the advice at a media briefing on the 2023 seasonal rainfall forecast for March to June.

She urged farmers to practice conservation techniques to protect soil water, increase vigilance and prepare adequately to deal with crop pests, including armyworm, to enhance crop growth.?

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Madam Martey said the observed atmospheric conditions over land and oceans and outputs from leading World forecast Centers indicate that the country would experience a normal to late onset of rains, mostly late to normal cessation of rainfall, with short to normal dry spells during the forecast period.?

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‘Generally, normal to below normal rainfall is forecasted for both March to June over most places in the country, however, some areas in the middle portions of the transition areas of the country will experience a below normal rainfall tendency,’ she said.

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Madam Martey explained that the coastal areas from Cape Coast in the Central Region through to Aflao in the Volta region might witness rainfall slightly above normal rains, high winds, and lightning, which could lead to flooding.

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She urged stakeholders, especially those in the disaster management sector, to establish operationalised integrated monitoring and early warning systems for flood risk.

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Mr Eric Asuman, Director-General of the Ghana Meteorological Agency,?said the Agency was well-resourced with the required equipment and counselled the public to utilise the GMet’s periodic weather forecast to plan their activities.

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He said the manifestation of the climate crisis had called for the need for the public to pay attention to the daily forecast to adapt to the impacts of the changing weather.

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The Director General said the average global temperature had increased and access to reliable weather services was important to plan to facilitate socio-economic growth.

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He said the projection was not negative, explaining that the dry spell in the southern belt meant farmers could have access to good rain during the minor season.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Galvanise resources to procure vaccines for children – Advocates for Christ Ghana

Members of the ‘Health Gate of Advocates for Christ Ghana’ has called on Mr Kwaku Agyeman Manu, the Minister for Health to galvanise all the necessary resources to order and procure vaccines for children to reduce morbidity and mortality to vaccine-preventable illnesses.

A news statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said, the health minister should take responsibility for the public health emergency and develop effective plans to curb shortages in the future and make the Expanded Programme on Immunisation more sustainable.

The call was in reaction to the shortage of six childhood disease vaccines, resulting in the outbreak of measures in some parts of the country.

It said there must be sufficiently equipped health facilities with the requisite logistics including incentivizing frontline healthcare workers to deal with imminent outbreak.

The statement said the Minister must put in the necessary funding mechanisms in place to encourage research and development in vaccines and vaccine development in the country.

‘After 66 years of Independence, is it not time to have vaccine sufficiency as a country?’, it said.

However, it said there must be a compensation to all affected families for any losses in case a child contracts any of the vaccine-preventable diseases soon.

‘We are dealing with highly contagious viral diseases, and this has to be urgently addressed’, the statement said.

Source: Ghana News Agency