Regional News of Saturday, 3 September 2005

Source: GNA

Pray for rains - Clergyman appeals

Kumasi, Sept. 3, GNA - A Clergyman, has appealed to all religious organisations in the country to pray for divine intervention for a favourable rainfall pattern this year. Primate S. K. Adofo, Spiritual Head of the Brotherhood Church, who made the appeal, observed that the rains seemed to have failed farmers this year.

He said it was only through persistent prayers that the country could be saved from an impending famine.

Primate Adofo gave the advice in a briefing with the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi on Saturday, on what religious organisations could also do to help national efforts to attain food security. He regretted that even though religious organisations were aware that farming in the country was rain-fed that could fail the nation any time without God's intervention, very little time had been devoted to prayers for rainfall.

Primate Adofo said the time had now come for "us as Christians, Muslims and "faithfuls" of other sects, to devote more of our prayer sessions to seeking God's help with rains". He said religious organisations should not only confine themselves to prayers for rains, but should also embark on large scale farming to support national efforts at feeding the nation.

Primate Adofo said there was the need for the Government to begin a scheme to train communities and farmers on how to construct ponds and how to use such ponds for irrigating farms.

He said this was the quickest and surest way of guaranteeing irrigation system at farms and ensuring an all-year round crop production, instead of relying dams. 3 Sept 05