The award winning Eastern Regional best farmer for the year 2010, Mr. Michael Samadji has asserted that farming outputs in the country have woefully and drastically reduced compared to previous years. This he has attributed to the lack of good and adequate farm inputs available to farmers to help them maximize their yield.
Mr Samadji who was a guest on Rite FM’s Morning Ride on Thursday said government should as part of its responsibilities towards enhancing productive farming, make available farm inputs such as tractors to farmers on credit basis; unfortunately, that is not so.
He noted that government in the past gave out fertilizers to farmers to help boost agriculture activities in the country. All these benefits, he lamented are no more and he appealed to the authorities to bring back this system of fertilizers and tractors given to farmers on credit basis.
According to Mr. Samadji, this will really help the farmers to produce to their maximum. That is not all; he appealed to government to rehabilitate the warehouse at the Afram Plains where they can also store their produce.
Mr. Samadji added that they only have one problem when it comes to marketing which involves the market women whom he accused of exploiting farmers by cheating them when it comes to determining prices for their produce by dictating what prices to pay for. He said the prices quoted are invariably to the disadvantage of the hardworking farmers, especially during periods of bumper harvest.
Mr. Samadji however was grateful for the good roads now plying the farming areas to the market centers which he said made it easier to transport their produce.
Source: ritefmonline.org
