The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has asked the government to engage fertiliser manufacturers and suppliers to reduce market prices, warning that free fertiliser distributions alone will not meet the needs of the country’s millions of farmers.
The call follows the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s recent distribution of 40,000 bags of inorganic fertiliser and five agricultural drones to PFAG under the Feed Ghana Programme to support smallholder farmers and boost agricultural productivity.
Speaking to Citi Business News, Executive Director of PFAG, Bismark Nortey, welcomed the intervention but stressed that the quantities available remain inadequate relative to demand.
“We know that the policy for the government this year, when it comes to fertilisers is free distribution. However, there’s a challenge because not all farmers will be able to access it,” he said.
He noted that PFAG’s membership alone ranges between 500,000 and one million farmers, making it impossible for the current allocation to satisfy demand.
“If you’re having 40,000 bags, you can’t even supply all,” he noted.
Nortey explained that while district agricultural offices and constituencies are also receiving fertiliser allocations, the overall volumes available are still insufficient when compared to Ghana’s estimated farming population of about three million people.
“We are looking at around three million people, and you can imagine the burden on government coffers if you have to supply over three million bags of fertiliser,” he said.
To address the gap, PFAG is proposing a complementary strategy that would make fertiliser more affordable for farmers who are unable to benefit from the free distribution programme.
“What I would encourage the ministry to do, in addition to this gesture, is to find a mechanism to ensure that they engage these fertiliser companies to reduce the prices so that farmers who are not able to access any of the free fertilisers can at least buy them on the market at reduced prices,” Nortey stated.
He argued that lower fertiliser prices would provide relief to farmers grappling with market challenges, produce gluts and limited access to capital.
“We all know the challenges that our farmers are facing regarding the markets, glut and the fact that they are unable to raise enough capital,” he added.
