Story By: Zigi Reginald Mawuli:
The Head of Extension Services of Agric Department at Shai Osudoku District in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, Mr. Jonathan Nartey has confirmed that, fertilizer is very supportive to farmers, since the farmlands have lost all the essential nutrients in the soil so fertilizer helps in good yielding of crop production especially to those into cereal cropping. According to him some people have been hoarding and smuggling the fertilizers to suit their own convenient. He said this on Wednesday April 13, 2016 on Rite 90.1 FM morning ride program; Feed the Future Platform.
He lamented on the misappropriations of the Government subsidized fertilizers and strongly believed that, the ongoing electronic extension registration of farmers will help eliminate the embezzlement of the fertilizers from the system through the software used in the registration exercise. He further explained that, 30% of the subsidized fertilizer is given to Shai Osudoku District and the average bag of fertilizer is 3 – 5 bags per farmer and the majority of the fertilizer is given to Asutuare District because of the rice cultivation.
The Head of Women in Agriculture Department (WIAD), Lower Manya Agric Department in the Eastern region of Ghana, on the same platform has affirmed that, Government subsidized fertilizer came into existence since the year 2007 and 2008 and the mode of transaction was through the use of coupons and passbooks by the farmers and to get rid of the embezzlement of the fertilizers, the electronic registration has be considered.
Miss. Huadji further explained, compound fertilizer (MPK) is priced at ₵125.00 per bag at the market and the subsidized price is ₵85.00, Urea (thus sulfate of ammonia) is priced at ₵100.00 per bag and the subsidized price is₵ 80.00. She said, the process of registration is through mobile phone and recording of personal data, afterwards a code will be issued to the farmer for the assessment of the Government subsidized fertilizer.
In furtherance, she said, each farmer is entitled to the maximum of 10 bags of the compound fertilizer (MPK) and 5 bags of the sulfate of ammonia to help control the leakages. Noted with concern, Rite 90.1 FM MAASI project team assured the Department of Agric to use their media platform for a week advertisement to create awareness on the ongoing registration exercise in all the project districts in the Eastern and Greater Accra region of Ghana
Source: ritefmonline
