Global food crisis is a wake-up call to govt - PFAG

Ada, May 9, GNA - The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, an advocacy group fighting for improved livelihoods for farmers, said the global food crisis should serve as a wake-up call to government to create the necessary environment for growth and development of the agriculture sector to ensure national food security.

Mr. Mohammed Adam Nashiru, President of the Association, said although the country was yet to face any food crisis, government needed to take immediate measures to enhance food production if the country was to avert one.

He was speaking at a community durbar at Ada to explain the aims and objectives of the Association to farmers. Mr. Nashiru said the time had come for government to muster the political will to formulate good agricultural policies or implement existing ones that would improve farmers' production and protect their markets.

Besides such policies, it must also encourage value addition, allow subsidies on agricultural inputs and provide access to credit for farmers on flexible payment terms.

He said high costs of inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, seeds and farm labour was leading to a reduction in production and government could help reverse the situation by fully or partially absorbing some input costs.

To reduce the reliance on rain-fed agriculture, Mr. Nashiru called for the rehabilitation and expansion of existing irrigation projects as well as the building of new ones to encourage all year round production. There is also the need to re-establish the Food Distribution Company to serve as market outlets for produce. Mr. Nashiru urged farmers to support the Association in its campaign efforts to ensure that government promulgate better policies for the agriculture sector to improve livelihoods, food security and poverty reduction.

He made it clear to the farmers that the Association was not into service delivery, but into advocacy campaign on issues of trade, agricultural financing and others that would give a better meaning to the efforts of Ghanaian farmers. A cross-section of farmers who spoke at the durbar said access to credit and markets for their produce were major challenges that they face in their production.