By Morkporkpor Anku
Accra, Aug. 31, GNA – The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) says it is worried about the deteriorating plight of farmers in view of the current economic hardships facing the populace.
Mr Awal Wepia Addo, the President of the Association said, “we are equally sad and disappointed with government’s unsatisfactory measures to confront and lift us out of these challenges.”
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, he said farmers “are continuously faced with increasing prices of inputs and other costs of production, reducing their ability to produce as expected.”
The President said crop budget for an acre of maize, which used to be around GH1,700 in 2021 had jumped to GH 5,000 for the 2022 planting season.
He said the poor performance of the cedi and high fuel prices made prices unstable with farmers having no option than to under produce.
” The result is the low production and the high prices of food we are witnessing on the markets,” he added, saying: “We, therefore, call for an emergency stakeholder meeting to review the implementation strategy of the various government initiatives, which are clearly not responding to the needs of the country.”
The Association said it was willing and ready to engage the government and other stakeholders to find a lasting and sustainable solution to the challenge.
GNA