Fertilizer Scarcity: Gov’t Owes Suppliers Estimated Ghc 436 Million
Recent checks conducted by Peacefmonline.com have revealed that the government of Ghana owes Fertilizer Suppliers an estimated debt of 436 million Ghana cedis after supplying farmers with fertilizers for the 2020 and 2021 farming seasons.
According to some of the companies Hello Fm's Sampson Kwame Nyamekye spoke with, they revealed that the government only paid them part of the money leaving arrears of 86 million Ghana cedis in 2020.
In 2021 too after supplying farmers with fertilizers for the farming season, the government failed to settle these companies’ 350 million Ghana Cedis debts, thereby accumulating the debts.
Currently, some fertilizer suppliers who have stock with some of the fertilizers are planning to sell to neighbouring countries to clear their debts since the implementing Ministry is not showing any readiness to settle outstanding debts.
This probe comes at the back of the recent fertilizer shortage for farmers under the government flagship programme “Planting for Food and Jobs” (PFJ).
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 they said the government is feeling reluctant to pay the debts of their suppliers after distributing farmers with fertilizers for the 2021 farming season.
This was captured in an earlier reportage by peaceonline.com after touring some farming communities across the country.
The hesitant posture of the Ministry of Finance to settle the debts owed by the government is affecting smallholder farmers who are losing interest in the programme.
Now some peasant farmers are beginning to doubt the sustainability of the programme following this recent development.
All 37 companies that supply farmers under the Planting for Food and Job are being affected.
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