Cattle menace is threatening to extinguish cassava cultivation at Gudaayiri, a farming community in the Wa East District of the Upper West Region of Ghana.
Cassava contributes about 86% of the total national production.
In Ghana for instance, Cassava is mostly grown in the forest agro ecological zones which consist of Eastern, Brong-Ahafo, Ashanti, Central, and Volta regions.
However, cassava production in the Upper West Region is highly minimal due to the neglect of stakeholders towards the staple crop in the region.
Some cassava farmers at Gudaayiri, a farming community in the Wa East District have lamented the continues intrusion into their cassava farms by cattle.
In addition of the cattle menace, the farmers also bemoaned the lack of ready market for the cassava.
Iddrisu Mujeebu a cassava farmer, has told Tungsung News that the Fulani headsmen deliberately allow the cattle to destroy their farms.
He indicated that the Fulani headsmen practice the illigality at night which compels them to keep vigil at night in their farms.
According to the young farmer, the headsmen even attempted an attack on one of the farmers at night in one instance but gave up when the farmer bolted away.
He added that two of the farmers have recorded snake bites on two separate occasions during midnight surveillance on their respective farms.
Mujeebu also regretted that due to their smaller numbers involved in root and tuber crop cultivation, they are unable to push for by-laws to be enacted by the traditional authority to permanently address the cattle menace.
On his part, Zuberu Mumuni also indicated that root crop farming is an all year round engagement due to that he has to weed his farm about four times to get a good yield.
This he said is due to the high cost of farm inputs, adding that depending on the variety of cassava, it can be harvested between 6 to 24 months.
Zuberu further cited post-harvest losses from harvesting through to storage as one of the topmost challenges confronting cassava farmers in the area due to the lack of appropriate farm tools.
The Upper West Regional Chairman of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana Mr. Salifu Amadu noted that most cassava farmers in the region do not engage in it on commercial basis hence the lack of ready market for the root and tuber crops
According to Wikifarmer Academy, Cassava under optimal condition can reach a yield of 80 tonnes per hectare (32.4 tons per acre).
However, the current world average yield is around 12.8 tonnes but it is expected to reach 23.3 tonnes per hectare soon.
Wikifarmer further stateed that its global market size was valued at USD 40.53 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 66.84 billion by 2026.
Story by: Wononuo Salifu//TungsungRadio