PAY ATTENTION TO PEASANT FARMERS!

Charles Nyaaba, PFAG

Although 90 per cent of the farming population is made up of small holders, they will not benefit much from the 2016 Annual Budget for the Agricultural sector unless the focus is tilted to support them.

Majority of Small-holder farmers engage in the production of vegetables, legumes, and cereals for consumption, but these sectors were not catered for in the 2016 Annual Budget for the Agricultural sector.

Mr. Charles Nyaaba, the Programme Officer of the PFAG, made the call at a recent sensitisation workshop, organised by the Association and SEND- Ghana in Bolgatanga to discuss the Agricultural Sector Budget.

He said Targeted Programmes for Women; Investment in Extension Services; Climate Resilient Agriculture; Investment in Warehousing; and Investment in Irrigation, particularly dugouts, which were very critical to the empowerment of the small-holder farmers, were all missing in the Budget.

Mr. Nyaaba however, commended the Government for the proposed good investment in fertilizer and seed subsidy.

But he kicked against the GHc35 Million allocation for the Green House Technology Capacity Building and Training Centres, and asked that the fund be rather channelled towards supporting small-holder farmers.

“This will help boost food production in the country as well as help improve upon the standard of living of the Small holder farmers who form the greatest number of farmers in the country,” he stated.

He said Small holder farmers would not benefit much from the Budget unless special attention was given to them.

Mohammed Limuna, Agric Minister

The Programme Officer of SEND- Ghana, Nana Aisha Mohammed, explained that the workshop, which was sponsored by Trust Africa, was aimed at presenting the findings of an analysis of the 2016 Agriculture Sector Budget; Prospects, Challenges and Opportunities for Small- holder farmers.

It was attended by stakeholders, including representatives of Civil Society Organisations, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Irrigation Development Authority, and the Media from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions.

She urged the Government to ensure that the fertilizer and seed subsidy programme benefitted mainly small holder-farmers, but not commercial farmers who had the ability to purchase inputs.

The Kassena-Nankana Municipal Chief Executive, Dr Stanislaus Alu Kandingdi, who read a speech on behalf of the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Albert Abongo, gave the assurance that the Government would ensure that the peasant farmers benefited from the fertilizer and seed subsidy programme to increase food production.

“The Tono and Vea Irrigation dams are also being restructured,” he said. “After completion, the Region will take its first position as the leading supplier of vegetables in this country.

“This will help create more jobs for the youth and reduce migration to the cities in search of jobs and also reduce the risk of travelling to Burkina Faso to import tomatoes.”

With files from GNA

Editorial

Respect for the law

It has almost become a rule that whenever it becomes difficult to obtain some property, the frustrated party quickly resorts to force, believing that it will bring a quick end to the issue.

There have been cases in the past where aggrieved parties have felt so overwhelmed by the amount of force deployed that they give up their rights. These days, though more and more people are becoming aware of their rights and are likely to seek redress in the courts.

Publicity about such cases often resulting in judgment debts seem, however, unable to change behavior. So we still see state institutions and officials taking over what they have not properly acquired only to have a long drawn out battle which in some unfortunate cases even result in injuries and fatalities.

There are a number of such cases across the country, but one that appears to be still festering is the one involving the military and the people of La.

Our information is that the government has constituted a high powered committee with representatives of all the stakeholders. We believe that that is a reasonable route to take. We will therefore appeal to all parties to work with the committee to arrive at a solution that is fair to all involved.