District assemblies to establish satellite markets for farmers

Accra, Aug. 4, GNA - The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) is to lauch the first ever satellite markets programme for farmers to broaden the scope of distribution outlets available to them to ensure that they have reasonable prices for their produce.

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Tema Municipal Assembly and the Ga District Assembly would jointly launch the pilot phase on August 16 at Baatsona (TEXPO) in the Tema Municipality.

Mr Kwadjo Adjei-Darko, the Sector Minister, who said this at a press conference in Accra on Monday, said the concept of the farmers' market, which is also aimed at enhancing the income levels of farmers, falls in line with government's policy of poverty reduction and wealth creation, especially among the rural communities.

He said every district assembly would establish and manage such markets, which would operate once a month for a start in their respective localities to break the monopoly of Market Queens and Middlepersons in the food distribution chain.

"Efforts should be made to break the monopoly, which seeks to regulate inflows to the markets, thereby resulting in high food prices to the consumer while they rot on the farm."

Mr Adjei-Darko said the efforts of farmers towards nation building had been frustrated and continue to be dictated or influenced by conditions or forces which made it impossible for them to realise the full value of their farming ventures.

He said the market queens do not only prevent the farmers from operating in the markets but they also offered them prices far below what the farmers might have invested in their farms.

This, he said, more often than made crop farmers bankrupt.

"This is what the Ministry seeks to address - to enable the farmers break even and also make food prices affordable to consumers." The Minister announced that following the recent visit by President John Agyekum Kufuor to Libya and India, the two countries have come out with a package to supply tractors to farmers. The government, he said, would encourage public/private partnership when the tractors arrive. 04 Aug. 03