Plan International, Ghana, has urged the use and consumption of natural spices like ginger, garlic and onion in cooking for a more healthy living.
This is because artificial spices predominantly being used in meals preparation nowadays have allegedly been a major contributory factor to the occurrence of diseases like cancer and kidney-related illnesses, which were not common in the past.
The situation had been attributed to several allergies and reactions in human bodies, research conducted by some medical professionals has indicated.
Mr. Solomon Tesfamariam, the Country Director of Plan International, Ghana, gave the advice when he met some beneficiaries of the Green Skills Project (GSP) as part of his familiarization tour of selected project sites at Duayaw-Nkwanta in the Tano North Municipality of Ahafo Region.
Mr. Tesfamariam entreated the society, especially women, to revert to the proper traditional way of cooking by using natural spices such as ginger, garlic and onion to help in the prevention of diseases being caused by the consumption of artificial spices and which are consequently contributing to preventable deaths.
He observed the use and abuse of poisonous agro-chemicals by farmers in food crops, fruits and vegetable production was also another dangerous practice, which must be banned as a matter of urgency to save the lives of the citizenry.
Mr. Tesfamariam advised farmers to join the campaign against the use of chemicals in farming and embrace the application of organic manure, which is easier to obtain and also more affordable.
In that wise, the public would be consuming nutritiously quality food to live healthily to contribute to national development since the nation’s productivity would be reduced if the citizens were not healthy.
Against this background, he explained that, Plan International, Ghana, was implementing the GSP, which is a three-year campaign, aimed at creating livelihood opportunities for 6,000 youth and women through the promotion of local environmentally-friendly and sustainable businesses.
He therefore stressed the need for beneficiaries of the GSP to apply the knowledge acquired to improve on their farming activities and also impart such experience to their colleague farmers.
Mr. Tesfamariam entreated the farmers to make farming business attractive to the youth to create wealth and alleviate poverty as a result of unemployment which is pushing the youth to migrate to urban centres to live in miserable conditions.
Most of the beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the organisation for the project, saying besides introducing them to other areas like mushroom, fish and snail farming, it had helped them to expand their farming businesses without accessing loans from the banks.
Mr. Tesfamariam earlier paid a courtesy call on Mrs. Evelyn Ama Kumi-Richardson the Bono Regional Minister at her office in Sunyani.
