The Western Regional Director of Agriculture, Mr Patrick Akowuah has implored farmers to join agricultural cooperatives to access inputs and financial support to improve their operations.

He explained that some foreign investors had approached the Directorate for investment opportunities in farming in the Region. As a result, farmers would need to come together to form groups to enable them to meet the required standards to take advantage of the opportunities.

Moreover, Mr Akowuah urged the farmers to spray their crops with pesticides early enough to make it easier to control pest infestation. He explained that such practice would prevent the infestation to develop to a stage where it becomes difficult to control.

Mr Akowuah further implored the farmers to communicate their challenges to the Agric Extension Officers in their Districts on time. He added that this would enable the Agric Extension Officers to timely address their concerns for improved production.

According to him, rice farmers in the Shama District had received eleven harvesters to help enhance productivity in the area.

Mr Akowuah made these statements at a sensitization workshop organized by the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) in the Western North and Western Region. The event was successful with support from the International Budget Partnership.

Sensitization Workshop on Fertilizer Subsidy

According to Mr Bismark Nortey, PFAG’s Programmes Officer, research conducted by his outfit indicated that the majority of farmers expressed worry about the rate of smuggling, hoarding and corruption in the handling of the government’s subsidized fertilizers.

However, he said the majority of the farmers who used the fertilizer commended the product for its quality. He added that some farmers also complained about the quantity which according to them, was lower than the amount quoted on it. On the price of the fertilizer, the farmers revealed that the fertilizer is being sold higher than the agreed price.

Mr Nortey said the shortage and the unavailability of the subsidized fertilizer during the peak of the planting periods at retail shops are the farmers’ major concern. He, therefore, attributed the challenge to the hoarding and commercial farmers purchasing the product in bulk quantities to the detriment of the peasant farmers.

Moreover, he pointed out other causes as the absence of transparent criteria in assigning supply quotas to specific geographical areas where suppliers can deliver the fertilizer; failure by MoFA to complete the farmer database registration to properly target smallholder farmers; and the lack of enforcement on the cap of maximum quantities to be purchased by farmers.

He, therefore, urged MoFA to complete the farmer registration exercise initiated to further improve upon the fertilizer subsidy programme. He said such exercise would eliminate the leakages. It will also make information on quotas distributed by the various companies and regional and district consumption of the various fertilizer types available to the public.

On their part, the farmers also pleaded with the authorities to make sure that sale points for the fertilizer are suited closer to them since it is expensive transporting the fertilizer to their farms.