Post harvest losses not acceptable – GTLC
Mr Emmanuel Wullingdool, Policy Officer at the Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition (GTLC), has said the annual recurrence in post- harvest losses is a threat to food security.
He said post- harvest losses has huge implications on the nutritional requirements of the citizenry.
Mr Wullingdool said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga after he had paid a working visit to the Talensi District to engage with stakeholders on nutrition and post- harvest losses.
He said agriculture and health were key and called on government to engage and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure that post harvest produce were properly stored to reduce the period of food scarcity within the year.
Mr Wullingdool said agriculture is connected to nutrition and when food security is threatened, development of children is also affected.
He called for stronger engagement and collaboration with the district assemblies to adhere to the National Nutrition Policy to scale up services provided to improve the nutritional status of the public.
The GTLC official said his outfit’s intervention in the Talensi District is based on a survey conducted in 2017, which showed the evidence of malnutrition in some communities in the area.
Mr Wullingdool said his outfit worked together with farmers and built their capacities in various areas to enable them access services related to agriculture as well as link them to duty bearers.
He stated that the effect of the lack of storage facilities and the challenges confronting farmers in handling farm produce from the farm-gates also affected the quality and quantity of the produce which impeded the outcomes.
He appealed to the Talensi District Assembly (TDA) and other assemblies to adhere to the National Nutrition Policy interventions and incorporate them into the Assemblies Medium Term Development Plans (DMTP).
Mr Wullingdool called on the assemblies to involve all departments and agencies that have roles in providing these services to be part of the process in pushing the agenda forward.
Mr Joshua Bayellebare, Talensi, District Nutrition Officer, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said when people eat food in right quantities, matching their weight, growth was guaranteed.
He expressed worry that most foods that provided the needed vitamins, especially Vit A were easily perishable and high in aflatoxin adding that the conditions of these foods contributed to stunt the growth of children.
Mr Bayellebare called for more collaboration with the assemblies to push the development agenda of the district forward.
GTLC is a working partner of SNV, a Dutch organization that is into the Voice for Change Partnership (V4CP) on evidence-based advocacy on Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) with focus on reducing malnutrition, Post -Harvest Losses and engaging with duty bearers for sustainable actions to improve lives in communities.
GNA