Farmers need incentives to increase yields – IFDC
The International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) says farmers, particularly smallholder farmers, will need incentives and capacity building in fertilizer application to increase yields.
It said fertilizer was capital intensive and for farmers to invest in fertilizer they needed incentives and access to profitable output markets.?
Dr. Oumou Camara, Regional Director, North and West Africa, IFDC, told the Ghana News Agency that the Centre had been providing support services to farmers in the areas of fertilizer supply chain.
The Regional Director was speaking at the IFDC open door event to celebrate its 20th Anniversary of developing agriculture from group up in Ghana, targeting the smallholder farmers.
The event highlighted its expertise and solutions; strengthen profitable partnerships and relationships; and building new synergies to promote agriculture to benefit thousands of Ghanaian farmers and improve their general livelihoods.
“We know that fertilizer is capital intensive so we want to make sure the little money they have for fertilizer can achieve maximum yields,” she added.
She said IFDC recognised the limited budget of farmers for purchasing fertilizer, so the Centre sensitised the farmers on what kind of fertilizer to use, its quantity and how to apply them.
Dr. Camara said they did so over the years through soil fertility testing and management to know the strengths and weaknesses of the soil used to cultivate the produce.?
The IFDC in a release said it had collaborated with partners, encouraged women and youth participation while creating opportunities for youth employment in agro-industrial partnerships.?
Currently, the Centre is implementing four projects, including Fertilizer Research and Responsible Implementation (FERARI) and AfricaFertilizer.org initiative, a source for fertilizer statistics and information in Africa.?
In 2018 and 2019, the Centre devoted resources to facilitate reforms in the Planting for Foods and Jobs (PFJ) fertilizer subsidy programme.
Miss Kuukua Ghunney, the New Business Development Associate for IFDC, said they had engaged farmers under Agriculture Technology Transfer Project and introduced to them the fertilizer machine that helped in application.
“Also, in the northern part of Ghana we have been able to impact the cultivation of rice for women and saw their yields increased,” she added?
Source: GNA