Scientists to help solve post harvest losses

Mr Richard Dogbe, Commercial Manager of YARA Ghana Limited, an agro-chemical company,  has called on agriculturists, agro-chemical industries and scientists to collaborate for solutions to post-harvest losses to better the lot of farmers.

Mr Dogbe made the call when he addressed about 400 farmers at Goaso in the Asunafo North Municipality of the Brong-Ahafo Region.

The meeting, attended by cocoa and vegetable farmers sought, among other things, to boost crop production through the application of ‘Asaase Wura’ and ‘Nitrabor’ fertilizers.

The farmers were introduced to new fertilizers like Foliar Fertilizer (Tracel B2) Winner and Claite 15, and also educated on their effective application to improve yield.

Mr Dogbe said 30 per cent of agricultural produce in Ghana normally went bad, because of improper application of fertilizer and other chemicals, and expressed the fear that if the problem was not addressed, food security in the country could not be attained.

He, therefore, called on agricultural extension officers to educate food crop farmers on how best to use agro-chemicals to increase production while ensuring that foodstuff produced from such chemicals were safe for consumption.

Mr Dogbe said agro-chemicals had their good and bad sides when applied for agricultural production and if care was not taken in their application, foodstuffs produced with such agro-chemicals would not be good for consumption, apart from being hazardous to the environment.

Earlier, similar programmes were held at Kukuom, Sankore and Kasapin in the Asunafo South District.

Source: GNA