Security agencies called to intervene in fertilizer smuggling

Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), at a stakeholders meeting, appealed to security agencies at border towns to help curb the smuggling of government subsidized fertilizers and other farming inputs to neigbouring countries for sale.

The meeting was to discuss research findings on the farmer extension ratio and its implication of food security in Ghana.

Mrs Victoria Abongo, Programme Coordinator of the PFAG, who expressed worry about the situation, indicated that the smuggling of fertilizer subsidy across the border by some unscrupulous people had become a perennial issue and must be tackled dispassionately.

“Every year government spends hard currencies in importing fertilizers meant for peasant farmers only to be smuggled across border towns like Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Mali for sale. We are appealing to you as security agencies to help deal with the issue,” she said.

Members of the Association also called on government to ensure that farmer extension ratio which, is a major problem, is bridged to ensure food security in the country.

Mr John Akaribo, Secretary of PFAG, expressed regret that farmer extension ratio was a major issue confronting food security and that there was the need for the Regional and District Directorates of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to recruit more extension staff.

The research, which was conducted by Pinnacle Investment Limited, in the Upper East, Northern, Brong Ahafo, Volta and the Greater Accra regions, recommended that government should give attention to the Agriculture Training Colleges just like it does to the Teacher Training and Nursing Training Colleges.

It said graduands from Agriculture Training Colleges should be posted immediately adding that delays in posting them worsened the farmer extension ratio.

The research findings and the stakeholders’ meeting was funded by the BUSAC Fund.

Source: GNA