Poor Rainfall Pattern Likely To Affect Food Supply - Farmer

The 2014 National Best Farmer, George Amankwah says the delay and erratic rainfall pattern in the middle belt of the country will affect food supply. 

He encouraged farmers to take advantage of government’s subsidy on fertilizer to ensure regular supply of maize for the last quarter of this year. 

Mr Amankwah made this appeal at a meeting with the Best Farmer Award Winners in the Ashanti region. 

Mr. Amankwah said the poor rainfall pattern in the first half of the year particularly in Ejura, Nkoranza, Kintampo and some parts of the middle belt where maize is produced in large scale is likely to affect maize supply to the market. 

He asked the farmers to use fertilizer in farming to enhance production. 

According to Mr. Amankwa, government is subsidizing a bag of fertilizer for farmers at 80 Ghana cedis a bag instead of one hundred and 20 Ghana cedis at the open market. 

The decision is to help farmers access the fertilizer to increase food production. 

This year government released the subsidized fertilizer in April but the supply stalled due to lack of funds to pay the companies engaged in the business. 

However the timely intervention by the leadership of the farmers compelled government to address the challenge for the supply to be restored. 

So far more than 300 thousand metric tonnes have been supplied. The Acting President of the National Best Farmer Award Winners Association, Nene Davies Korboe asked farmers to work in unity in order to meet their needs.

The Ashanti Regional Director of Agriculture, Kwaku Minka Fordjour debunked the notion by farmers that some of the fertilizers being supplied to them are of low quality. 

He said the quality of fertilizer is not determined by its colour but the properties used in producing the product. The leadership of the association appealed to extension officers to work closely with farmers to educate them on the legal application of fertilizers and chemicals.

GBC