The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) is demanding immediate reforms in the distribution of fertilizer by the Agriculture Ministry to farmers.
The demand followed the stealing of fertilisers estimated to worth in excess of GH¢600.000.00 from the warehouse of the Ministry in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The fertilisers were part of several Agric materials meant for the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs policy at the warehouse.
The Planting for Food and Job policy has been introduced by the NPP Government to help address the declining growth of Ghana’s agricultural sector.
It is a five-year-long policy which is geared towards increasing food production and ensure food security for the country as well as reduce food import bills to the barest minimum.
It is also an avenue to modernize agriculture and make it a source of employment for the teeming youth.
About seven workers of the Ministry are being investigated over the development and the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister Kweku Asomah-Cheremeh told journalists Monday that no suspect will be shielded.
Speaking to Starr News on the matter, the Director of programmes at the Peasant Farmers Association, Charles Nyaaba said the Agric ministry must tighten its monitoring of the distribution of the fertilizer.
“Farmers in such areas were crying for fertilizer and they go to the office only to be told that there is no fertilizer. So, for us, we think that we need to tighten our monitoring. Otherwise, we will continue to give reports that the programme is yielding results but it is not actually getting to the real beneficiaries.
“That’s our observation. We have already observed this before it came,” he stated.
He added: “Corruption, stealing and inefficiency in delivering input under the planting for food and jobs are actually affecting the results that we are getting. So it is always easy for the same officers who steal the fertilizer to report to the Minister that they have given the fertilizer to the farmers and that yields have increased. Meanwhile, in reality, that’s not it.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
