Inadequate rainfall makes groundnut harvesting difficult as farmers count losses

Farmers in some communities in the Upper East Region are counting their losses as inadequate rainfall leaves the soil too hard for easy groundnut harvesting, forcing some to adopt costly measures to retrieve their produce.

The farmers, who are already grappling with reduced yields, say the hardened soil makes it difficult to uproot groundnuts, leaving some of the crops buried in the ground and at risk of being lost.

Groundnuts remain an important source of food and income for many rural households, making the harvesting difficulties a major concern for farmers’ livelihoods and household food security.

To overcome the challenge, some farmers have resorted to using hoes and other farm tools to break up the hardened soil before attempting to uproot their crops.

Others are purchasing water to soften the ground, a measure they say is further increasing their production costs and financial difficulties.

A farmer, Afia Abiga, from Sirigu in the Kassena-Nankana West District, recounted her ordeal to Mike FM, describing the financial burden of purchasing water to facilitate harvesting.

She said the cost of buying water had made an already difficult farming season even more challenging.

“Under normal circumstances, when there is enough rainfall, I would have finished harvesting my groundnuts in three days. But this year, I have spent seven days because the ground is too hard. I even spend GH¢40 every day on water, buying two drums at GH¢20 each,” she lamented.

Abiga attributed the difficult harvesting conditions to changing rainfall patterns, which she believes are disrupting normal weather conditions and making farming increasingly unpredictable.

Another farmer, Kagaa Adongo, from Doba in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality, said the situation was particularly taking a toll on women farmers, who often have to spend additional time, energy and money to prevent their hard-earned produce from going to waste.

“The situation is making women suffer even more because they do not have the heart to watch their hard-earned labour go to waste,” she said.

Adongo expressed concern about the quantity of groundnuts farmers would eventually recover, their expected income and their ability to meet their household needs.

“This reduced harvest would affect my expected income and my ability to meet the basic needs of my household,” she added.

The farmers are consequently appealing for support to help smallholder farmers cope with changing rainfall patterns, reduce post-harvest losses and ease the additional financial burden associated with harvesting their crops.

Mike 105.3 FM I Navrongo | Cynthia Afaah