Peasant farmers call for expansion of buffer stock services

Small holder farmers in the Northern Region have called for expansion of buffer stock services to help address issues of low income and food insecurity in the country.

They explained that the expansion of buffer stock services would result in improved storage methods, as well as provide improved storage facilities to prevent the practice where farmers sell their produce at any price because of fear of it perishing.

This came up at a sensitization workshop organized by Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) with support from the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund (BUSAC) for its members in Tamale on Monday, to discuss the need to expand the buffer stock services run by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), to cover more districts.

Mr. Mohammed Adam Nashiru, President of PFAG, said the inadequacy of buffer stock services was impacting negatively on the productivity of small holder farmers and thereby affecting their livelihoods.

The government, through MOFA, has set up the Buffer Stock Company with the mandate to insulate farmers from post harvest shocks such as market access and storage by mopping excess produce from all farmers thereby protecting farmers’ incomes and facilitating improvements in their household livelihoods.

Mr. Nashiru said the objective behind the setting up of the Buffer Stock Company was laudable, but added that there was need for more commitment to ensure an efficient, effective and comprehensive buffer stock service, to small holder farmers to improve their lot.

He therefore, called for adequate resourcing of the Buffer Stock Company, to enable it to perform its core functions effectively.**