The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Akoto Afriyie, has disclosed the partnership intentions of the Agric. Ministry with domestic fertilizer producers to avert the looming fertilizer shortage in the country.
Dr. Akoto Afriyie noted that organic agriculture had taken a significant premium on the international market, adding that the mass production of quality organic fertilizer will make Ghana less dependent on inorganic fertilizer.
Dr. Akoto Afriyie made these assertions following a stakeholder meeting with local fertilizer producers on the production and promotion of quality organic fertilizers domestically.
He attributed the ‘acute shortage’ of agrochemicals generally, and fertilizers in particular, to the war between Russia and Ukraine, amid the international sanctions on Russia.
These developments, he said, are breaking the supply chain of fertilizer and making global trading very difficult – to which Ghana is no exception.
“In a catastrophic situation, you have to be able to adapt and come out stronger. So we feel that we need to encourage the production of quality organic fertilizer domestically.”
Dr. Akoto Afriyie
Local organic fertilizer producers urged to avail themselves
The Hon. Minister noted that from January to May this year, there has been a sharp drop in the amount of fertilizer distributed to farmers in this country.
He urged local organic fertilizer producers to avail themselves of the opportunities presented by the government to boost production and meet the fertilizer needs of the farming population.
“We are prepared to work with you, with our extension officers. We have the capacity to teach the farmers how to adapt and apply this organic fertilizer. We will have close collaborations with local producers of organic fertilizers to see how we can maximize your businesses to help us bridge the fertilizer gap – if not completely, at least we’ll make an effort to provide a higher percentage of fertilizer requirement.”
Dr. Akoto Afriyie
Ghana abounds with raw materials for fertilizer production
The Minister encouraged the local producers to convince their foreign partners to come and set up fertilizer plants in the country.
Additionally, Dr. Afriyie Akoto indicated that Ghana abounds with loads of raw materials for fertilizer production, which includes garbage and fauna.
He applauded Zoomlion Ghana Limited’s effort for investing hugely in using waste to produce organic fertilizer. The demand for fertilizer in Ghana, he said, is about 600,000 metric tonnes.
“So far this year, we haven’t even done 100,000 metric tonnes, so we are way off. ‘This is nothing to write home about’. We are actively searching for solutions to ensure that farmers are supplied with the right fertilizer,” he said.
Present at the event was the Managing Director of Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP), Mr. Michael Padi Tuwor – who spoke to the media on the sidelines of the meeting and described the engagement with the minister as “very fruitful”.
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