By Naa Shormei Odonkor
Koforidua, May 21, GNA – Over 200 farmers have registered with the New Juaben South Municipal Department of Agriculture for the Planting for Food and Jobs Phase Two (PFJ 2.0) as of May 17, 2024.
Ms Tharzia N. Akwetey, the New Juaben South Municipal Director of the Department of Agriculture, explained that farmers only needed access to farmland to participate in the PFJ 2.0 programme aimed at providing input-credit assurance for farmers.
The programme aims to improve agricultural productivity and increase food security in the region.
According to her, it is designed to provide farmers with the necessary resources and support to ensure a successful harvest.
“Initially, only farmers with two acres of farmland were being considered, however, after various deliberations with the authorities, farmers who don’t meet such expectations are being considered.”
Ms Akwetey told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that currently, the aggregators who were registered with the system provided input-credit opportunities such as tractor services, seeds, and fertilizers for only maize farmers.
However, she noted that in due time other cereals, vegetables and poultry would be added to ensure that all other farmers involved in different crop production would also benefit.
Under the arrangement, aggregators in return for their funding will receive some harvested maize equivalent to the cost of the credited inputs they supplied to the farmers.
Ms Akwetey said the aggregators would be paid in kind after the price of the produce had been determined by the farmers, aggregators and Agricultural officers.
Apart from funding from the aggregators, Ms. Akwetey disclosed that the old subsidy system from the government had been put on hold due to the introduction of the input-credit system for farmers who registered for the PFJ 2.0.
She, therefore, entreated all farmers to take advantage of the opportunity to be registered for the PFJ 2.0 to benefit from the funding from the aggregators as registrations were still ongoing.
The PFJ 2.0 was launched in Tamale on August 28, 2023, and aims to transition from a direct input subsidy to a direct credit system linked to a structured market arrangement.
GNA