Professor George Tawia Odamtten, a former dean of the University of Ghana, Legon’s Faculty of Science, has issued a warning to the public not to consume “kakro,” which is mashed plantain that has been formed into balls and deep-fried in extremely hot oil.
He claimed that while consuming “kakro” itself is not harmful, the way it is made—using soft plantains that are practically rotted or decayed—can lead to cancer. This was stated by Prof. Odamtten during a public speech he gave at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Science in Accra on the subject of “Plant diseases, crop, and food security in Ghana.”
He claimed that eating plantains could put a person’s health at danger since the fungus that affects them can cause cancer in the lungs.
He observed that since market women who sell plantain want to prevent losses, they sell the decayed or rotten plantain to those who prepare “kakro.”
“The ‘kakro’ we all enjoy with beans is mostly prepared with soft plantain but buying the spoilt plantain to prepare it is what I am not encouraging,” he said.
He advised those who prepare ‘kakro’ to use ripe plantain in order not to put health of people at risk.
“There are so many foodstuffs at the market where are sold especially to food vendors. Stakeholders should support farmers by giving them fertilizers and insecticides to prevent the crops from diseases,” he said.
He urged civil society groups to strengthen awareness on food safety and security as well as create mechanisms to check foodstuffs sold at the various markets.
“We need to put proper mechanism that would help our farmers to practice the best farming method that would help the food from getting rotten.
“We should not only focus on food production but also how best we are able to preserve the crops,” he said.
Prof Odamtten said government should provide adequate warehouse for farmers to help preserve their produce.
He noted that among the major challenges farmers face were lack of warehouse and deplorable roads that lead to farming communities.
