Recent floods destroy hundreds of hectares of farmlands in Keta
Hundreds of hectares of farmlands were submerged in the Keta Municipality by the recent floods destroying food crops worth several thousands of Ghana cedis.
About 100 acres of maize farms belonging to Farmer Based Organizations that received support under the Millennium Challenge Authority (MCA) Project at Anloga were among the crops affected.
Togbe Azadagli III, Keta Municipal Director of Agriculture told members of the National Task Force on Floods during a visit to the area on Saturday.
The Task Force, which toured flooded areas in the Keta Municipality and Ketu-South District, was led by Mr Joseph Yileh Chireh, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development.
Togbe Azadagli said the farmers received GH¢76,525 of MCA support in terms of fertilizers, seeds and land preparation.
Mr Kofi Portuphy, National Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) expressed the need for the development of appropriate infrastructure in support of projects.
He observed that the floods would have been prevented in the farms if drainage was considered at the planning stage of development.
Mr Sylvester Tornyeava, Keta Municipal Chief Executive, called for the dredging of the Keta Lagoon to enable it to absorb more water to minimize the extent of floods in the Keta area.
He called for more MCA support for the farmers to enable them to grow vegetables when the floods recede in August.
The team also visited Vodza, Kedzi and Anyanui areas in the Keta Municipality and Adina Denu and Agbozume in the Ketu-South District.
Mr Yileh Chireh noted that the devastation caused by floods in the area was extensive and had given new lessons in culvert designing and the height or thickness of roads.
He said there was the need to revive communal spirit, which had died down in communities.
Source: GNA
Press Release Press Attaché, US Embassy Accra Tel (021) 741150 Fax (021) 741692 Email [email protected] Web http://ghana.usembassy.gov/ July 2, 2010 Ambassador Teitelbaum's Talking Points at United States, Ghana Trade Talks · TIFA represents bilateral dialogue and dialogue is critical to resolving potential trade disputes before they escalate. The better our governments understand each other, the stronger our economic relations will be. · Trade and investment are two critical components of our bilateral economic relations. Ghana exported $135 million worth of products to the US last year, making us Ghana's 5th largest customer. Ghana imports $634 million worth of products from the US each year, making us Ghana's 4th largest source of imports. · In terms of Foreign Direct Investment in Ghana Americans invested in 167 projects worth $2.5 billion over the last 15 years. · In the first four months of 2010, cocoa paste and cocoa powder exports to the US grew substantially following two significant US investments in state-of-the-art cocoa processing facilities in 2009: ADM in Kumasi, and Cargill in the Tema Free Zones Area. These were multi-million dollar investments that employ hundreds of Ghanaians in highly skilled labor, and contributing significant tax revenues to the government of Ghana. · This month two new airline services were inaugurated by American flag carriers flying direct to Ghana, tripling the number of direct flights between our countries each week from 6 to 18, and tripling the numbers of ports of entry for Ghanaians taking direct flights to the US: New York, Washington, and Atlanta. Ghanaian exporters can now take advantage of the increased cargo capacity that these flights provide, and more American investors can come to Ghana from the U.S. · Since the visit to Ghana of President Barack Obama last year, the Embassy has seen a 100%-200% increase in the number of inquiries from American businesses seeking to do business in Ghana.