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Peasant Farmers under the government’s flagship programme, “Planting for Food and Jobs” have expressed worry over how their farming businesses are gradually dying off following a lack of fertilizers for their farming activities.

According to farmers, their suppliers are not able to supply them with the fertilizers again because government is feeling reluctant to service its debts owed them (suppliers) after distributing fertilizers to farmers for the 2021 farming season.

Currently, these farmers say their livelihoods are at stake and if the government fails to address their concerns, they will be left with no other option than to quit farming, a situation which they believe will impact negatively on the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme.

Available data has indicated that the Agriculture sector has seen a laudable increase and the role of Small-holder farmers cannot be overemphasized after actively partaking in the Planting for Job Programme by the NPP Government.

However, the vision of these peasant farmers seems to be dwindling because of the unavailability of fertilizers for their activities.

Peace News for some time now has been following up on the concerns of these farmers in some regions namely Ashanti, North East, Upper East, Bono East, Bono and Ahafo Regions and their responses seem disturbing.

Per reports gathered by Peacefmonline.com, following the inability of the government to pay the debt to suppliers of fertilizers for their services in 2021, these suppliers have refused to honour their side of the bargain by supplying fertilizers to farmers for the 2022 farming season under the Planting for Food and Job programme.

Northern regions

Farmers in the Northern Regions especially in some farming communities visited in the North East and Upper East Regions have the largest presentation under the Programme. Growers in this part of the country grow beans, maize and yam, however with the recent development in regards to the shortage of fertilizers, they said their farming activities is hugely affected.

“The Programme indeed has been helping us since its introduction because our lives depend on it but now it appears are farming is gradually dying off because our fertilizer suppliers are unable to supply us with the fertilizers because the government is owing to them” one maize farmer has lamented

Ashanti regions

The story in the Ashanti Region remained the same; here farmers told Peacefmonline how farming has become difficult due to a lack of fertilizers. Farmers in the region speaking spoke to the news team and expressed how difficult the situation is putting them through. Areas such as Sakam, Bonsua, Adagya etc., are villages where rice farming is very common among the residents, as it has become the main source of livelihood for many families.

The farmers over the years have been depending on subsidized fertilizers for improved yields but the difficulty in accessing it this crop season has left most of them disappointed and in desperation for the commodity.

According to them, the fertilizer suppliers tell them that, the situation is a result of debts owed them by the government hence crippling their ability to make the commodity readily available to the farmers.

A tour of some of their farms by Peaceonline.com discovered that due to the absence of the commonly used NPK fertilizer for application, some of the seedlings at the nursery stage had become yellowish in colour, and dried up gradually.



Brong Ahafo regions

After touring Bono East, Bono and Ahafo regions some farmers shared their plea with the news team and from their reactions they sound desperate and helpless.

“I have started losing interest in the programme following the difficulties in accessing the fertilizers. After preparing for this season with low of expectations, our dreams are gradually shattering," one farmer said.

Executive Director of peasant farmers

The Executive Director for Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Dr Charles Nyaaba in an interview with peacefmonline.com's Sampson Kwame Nyamekye, hinted that the Association predicted the shortage of fertilizers following the debts owed to fertilizer suppliers and implored the government to settle the outstanding debts since it’s only the way to arrest the shortage of fertilizers.

He added that since 2021, the Association in countless times has been reminding the government about these debts which is affecting their operations as farmers.

Later, Dr Charles Nyaaba who was worried over how the situation keep worsening urged the government as a matter of urgency settle the debts to save their farms from danger.

Unpaid debts

Fertilizer Suppliers in an earlier interview have lamented over how their finances have been locked up due to the debts owed them by the government. Suppliers said since last year they have been dragging government for their money but to no avail.

These disturbed suppliers said Banks are feeling reluctant to secure them with any financial support due to government's stance on paying the debts.