By Stanley Senya
Accra, Nov. 22, GNA – The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has called on all political parties to address existing issues facing small holder farmers to ensure food security in the country.
Mr Bismark Owusu Nortey, the Executive Director of PFAG, speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, at the sidelines of a forum on “Political parties accountability on agriculture” said, the Association had been faced with several challenges which was causing more farmers to lose their jobs and livelihoods.
He said the Association wants a government that would ensure that post-harvest losses were managed, ensure food security and also provide subsidized fertilizers and farming services.
He said next year there would be a monitoring system to track government’s programmes and promises to ensure they were effectively implemented.
He said, however if not implemented, there would be consequences saying, “even if there is a need to mobilize peasant farmers to take action they would.”
The Executive Director said the small farm holders needed support from the government to improve their farms and increase productivity as all citizens depended on food to survive.
He said the party which would come to power after the elections should attend to their needs and not classify them as being aligned with one political party or the other.
He assured that whoever wins this year’s election would work in collaboration with PFAG to ensure their manifestos on agriculture were implemented.
Mr Charles Kwowe Nyaaba, Former Executive Director, PFAG, said some challenges faced by farmers included the high cost of agricultural inputs and farming materials, post-harvest losses due to poor road networks leading to farm gates, climate change, lack of funding for Small Holder Farms, amongst others.
He said agriculture played a critical role in Ghana’s economic growth, therefore all parties must ensure that farmers were prioritized to grow the economy.
He said small holder farm owners such as women and starters were not able to access funding from banks and financial institutions to grow their farms.
He said the sector should be subsidized adequately to improve its contribution to the nation’s economy.
Mr Moses Anim, Member Agriculture Manifesto Team, New Patriotic Party (NPP), speaking on the NPP’s manifestos said the Party in government had done a lot through its Planting for Foods and Jobs, and Rearing for Foods and Jobs programmes to improve the sector.
He said modern warehouses have been completed across the country to aid in solving challenges with post-harvest loses.
He said the government had engaged about 2,700 extension officers to guide farmers implement good farming practices to sustain the sector.
Dr Peter Boamah Otokunor, Spokesperson for Agriculture and Director of CSO’s Relations, National Democratic Congress (NDC), also speaking on the party’s manifestos policy on Agriculture said there would be storage facilities at all regions to secure access to food, adding that the NDC would ensure the availability of market for harvested crops.
He said the NDC government would provide farming services centers that would provide services directly to farmers, saying, this would help farmers get subsidized fertilizers and equipment for farming.
He said the party if voted into power would construct an irrigation system dubbed “fresh water plants” to solve the drought system across the country.
The forum was attended by civil society organisations, farmers across the region, political representatives from various political parties and key stakeholders in the agricultural sector.
GNA