Farmers lose 75% fertilizer allocation to smuggling
Farmers in the Kassena Nankana Municipal this year lost about 75% of their subsidized fertilizer allocation to smuggling despite changing from the open market system to the pass book system where they are given coupons to buy the fertilizer.
Out of a total of 33,620 bags of subsidized fertilizer that was to help peasant farmers increase their yield, only 8,235 bags were actually received by them, the majority smuggled to neighbouring Burkina Faso to be sold at more than double the price bought in Ghana.
While the subsidized prices in Ghana range from GH¢30 to GH¢38 per bag, the same is sold at the equivalent of over GH¢70 per bag in Burkina Faso.
Mr Emmanuel Andema, Municipal Chief Executive of Kassena Nankana Municipal, said this at the 2nd ordinary meeting of the assembly held at Navrongo on Thursday.
“If not for the government subsidy on fertilizer, farming would have been very difficult for the peasant farmer, however it is sad to note that greed and selfishness on the part of some of us has led to the smuggling of the subsidized fertilizer thereby making our peasant farmers suffer”, he said.
He appealed to all assembly members to be vigilant and report cases of smuggling to the District Security Council (DISEC).
Speaking on the block farming subsidy for farmers in the municipal, Mr Andema said recovery rate of the subsidies for the five-year programme was poor, only 51.27% and that would affect further subsidies to the area.
“It is sad to note that all the good intentions of government to alleviate poverty amongst our people are not yielding the intended results”, he said and asked the members to educate the people in their constituencies about the need to pay back their debts so as to sustain the programme.
The Kassena Nankana Municipal is noted for its all year farming and vegetable, especially tomato production during the dry season. Majority of the people are farmers, producing rice, maize, groundnut, millet, sorghum and other small staples grown in the savanna regions.
Mr Dennis Chirawurah, Presiding Member of the assembly, noted that the assembly’s elevation to a Municipal brought along both good opportunities and challenges that would require members to be innovative in their decision making so as to take maximum advantage of the opportunities and confront the challenges.
He urged the members to continue to give good leadership that would unite the people and promote peaceful conduct before, during and after the elections.
“The deepening of our democratic culture depends largely on our collective civil conduct and certainly not on violence, it is only through peaceful elections that we can continue to grow our democracy for the development of our communities and country”.
Source: GNA