Johnson Asiedu Nketia, National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), had attributed the current financial pressures facing farmers to a combination of bumper harvests and ongoing economic adjustments.
Addressing supporters in the Upper West Region during his nationwide “Thank You” tour, he acknowledged that many food crop producers are grappling with temporary income instability as agricultural markets react to these shifts.
“Because of the changes that we are making in the economy, there are people who suffer some temporary difficulties. One of the group is farmers and so we are aware that particularly food crops farmers you are going through some difficulties now because of the bumper harvest,” he said.
Despite these immediate challenges, Mr. Nketia expressed optimism that the party’s proposed economic reforms would eventually restore profitability to the sector.
He argued that agricultural margins would improve through the reduction of production costs rather than relying solely on market price increases.
“When the cost of inputs comes down, then the cost of making your farms will come down,” he stated. “And even if the selling prices of your products don’t rise quickly, you will still make profit,” he added.
During the engagement, Kuroru Abdul Rahama Kassim Baatah IV, Chief of the Buru Traditional Council, highlighted the local impact of these market fluctuations, noting that stagnant grain sales are severely impacting farmer incomes.
He urged the NDC leadership to prioritize value addition by establishing a maize processing factory within the Sissala area, specifically suggesting Sissala West as an ideal location to mitigate post-harvest losses.
“I make a passionate appeal to him to consider establishing a factory, one of these five factories in Sisala land, preferably Sisala West. I’m saying this because currently farmers are complaining of low sales of grains. If we have these factories, it will no longer be a worry. We will sell them to the factories. They will use them to process things for the same district to use,” the chief stated.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana