Lack of fertilizer threatening PFJ in Sekyere Afram Plains

By Gideon D. Ebbah, GNA

Drobonso (Ash), Feb. 15, GNA – The lack of access to fertilizer, is one of the major challenges impeding the successful implementation of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme in the Sekyere Afram Plains District of Ashanti Region.

Mr. Joseph Owusu, the District Chief Executive, who disclosed this said farmers engaged in the programme, had to travel long distances from their communities to other towns outside the district to purchase fertilizers with their e-coupons, the only official note to access the fertilizers from accredited suppliers.

Currently, farmers in the Drobonso zone had to travel to Agogo in the Asante Akim North District or Kumawu in the Sekyere Kumawu District to purchase fertilizers and those from the Anyinofi zone had to travel to Atebubu in the Atebubu-Amantin Municipality, while those from the Fumsua and Dawa zones, also travel to Agogo, to get theirs.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency at Drobonso, Mr Owusu, said the situation which brought on additional cost to the farmers, was almost putting the farmers off from enrolling onto the programme.

To address this, he said the Assembly was focusing on helping to establish suppliers’ agents in the four demarcated zones of the District to ease the distribution.

Mr Owusu said the PFJ had been widely accepted by farmers in the District and it would be prudent to take measures that would enhance its smooth implementation to help increase food production and incomes of farmers in the area.

He said another challenge was the regular destruction of food crops of farmers by the nomadic herders and their cattle.

However, the Assembly was in consultation with key stakeholders such as the traditional authorities, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and others, to establish a nomadic ranch in the district to enable the herdsmen rear their animals without destroying farmlands and food crops.

Nana Alfred Kwasi Nsiah, District Director of Food and Agriculture said about 178 bags of maize seeds had been distributed to the farmers.

Additionally, 207 bags of rice seeds with a total of 570 bags of fertilizer had already been given out to the farmers.

Nana Nsiah said about 520, farmers and an additional 20 disabled persons, were currently engaged in the programme and a lot of sensitisation programmes were going on in the communities to educate the beneficiaries on the need to repay their loans and how to handle their farm produce to reduce the post-harvest loses.

Mr Nsiah said his outfit was targeting to enroll at least 1,000 farmers onto the programme this year, mentioning bad road network in the area as a hurdle for extension officers.

GNA

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