Farmers cautioned over fake fertilizers

Farmers have been warned about the sale of fake and expired fertiliser by unscrupulous traders in parts of the country.

Subsequently, farmers have been advised to be vigilant and report any suspected distributor of the product to the police.

Mr Henry Otoo-Mensah, Retail Sales Manager of Yara Ghana, Mineral Fertilizer Company, gave the warning in a media encounter on Wednesday.

He said the company had a tip off that some distributors in Kumasi were engaged in re-bagging low quality fertilizers with Yara Ghana sacks and selling the product to unsuspected farmers.

Mr Otoo-Mensah expressed worry over the sale of fake fertilizers to unsuspecting farmers, and said it might affect soils and pose serious health risk to consumers of food produced.

He said if the practice is not checked it could undermine food security in the country, and called on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the relevant regulatory bodies to stop the practice.

Mr Otoo-Mensah said Yara Ghana was collaborating with the police to arrest the distributors, and advised farmers to buy fertilizers from certified retail points.