Agri National

Farmer Beneficiaries of PFJ Must Pay Back Loans – National Best Farmer

2017 Overall National Best Farmer, Mr. Philip Kwaku Agyemang has urged his colleague farmers who have benefited from the first phase of the planting for food and job inputs supply to pay back the loans given to them to enable government go for another consignment to benefit other farmers.

Mr. Agyemang who blamed farmers for their own predicaments was emphatic that such situations arose because farmers failed to repay such credit facilities including loans taken from financial institutions.

The ‘planting for food and jobs’ is one of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s main policy plan it is currently rolling out to revolutionize the agricultural sector of the country.

As part of the program, enrolled farmers benefit from farm inputs, fertilizers, improve crop seeds, among other resources to help them improve production and increase profit margins.

Speaking in an interview with Captain Adabugar during the Akuafo Sesen segment of the morning show, Mr. Agyemang reminded farmers of the consequences of refusing to pay back the planting for food and job inputs which has been subsidized by the government.

Mr. Agyemang said financial institutions are therefore unwilling to take such future risks due to the posture of some farmers of failing to repay loan facilities granted them.

“Farmers are sometimes responsible for their predicaments because of their attitudes towards the repayment of loans,” Mr. Agyemang observed. “They take monies from financial institutions and refuse to pay, a situation that has served signal to financial institutions to divert their portfolios into other investments.”

The national best farmer who described farming as “a very tedious, risky and capital intensive business” which requires a lot of resources, said this situation compelled government to implement the ‘planting for food and job’ policy to assist them (farmers) by subsidizing the farming inputs.

He admonished such farmers to take advantage of this by paying back so that government can go for more consignments in the interest of the farmers.

Mr. Agyemang also warned beneficiaries who refused to repay the loans of dire consequences for them and other farmers.

“If those who have benefited from the policy initiative have refused to pay back, they should know that they are digging their own graves including that of the rest of the farmers because there is no way government can sustain the policy if the previous monies were not retrieved.

He therefore pleaded with the beneficiaries to ensure that that they pay back the loans to continue to enjoy the benefits of the initiative to avoid the suspension of the programme.

Source; Prince Paul Amuzu/www.ritefmonline.org/princeamuzu667@gmail.com

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