Business News of Thursday, 19 October 2023

Source: gbcghanaonline.com

Akosombo, Kpong dams spillage destroys 45 hectare banana plantation

File photo of a banana plantation File photo of a banana plantation

The ongoing spillage of the Akuse/Kpong dam by the Volta River Authority has not only devastated homes and other property as farmlands have also not been spared.

At Torgorme in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region, a 40-to-45-hectare banana plantation with 44,528 bunches have washed away.

One of the many farmlands that have been destroyed in the deluge is a banana plantation that belongs to Golden Exotics located at Asutsuare in the Eastern Region with over 4,000 workers.

About 40 to 45 hectares out of a total of 171.41 hectares of banana plantation with a total of 681.71 tons of banana have been submerged due to the spillage exercise.

Management says if the spillage continues, the whole plantation will be destroyed.

So far, the estimated cost of the destroyed portion of the farm is about half a million dollars while the spillage has also affected most workers who are residents in villages such as Alabonu and Torgorme.

Management of the firm said it has since engaged the services of the Ghana Water Company to help pump some of the water from the plantation.

Corporate Affairs and Administration Manager of the company, Mark Achel explained the damage caused by the spillage while adding that despite the loses, the company is supporting communities in its catchment area with relief items and potable water on daily basis especially to the Akuse Government hospital which has been without water for over three weeks.