Farmers who attended a two-day AbinBev inputs fair in Bono Regional, held at Wenchi last Thursday and Friday, expressed concerns over the exorbitant prices of agricultural inputs and the inadequate pricing of their produce in the area.
They also highlighted the ongoing challenges of poor road infrastructure and limited access to crucial inputs, especially seeds, which continue to hinder progress in the agriculture sector.
Ursula Napaala, a farmer, voiced her frustration to the Daily Graphic about the persistent issues of high input costs and restricted access. She emphasized that these challenges have deterred many smallholder farmers, who play a pivotal role in Ghana’s food production, from transitioning to commercial farming.
According to Mrs. Napaala, these difficulties have contributed to recent spikes in food prices and pose significant threats to the nation’s food security and nutrition.
She urged the government and stakeholders to promptly address these issues, enabling farmers to scale up their operations and increase both production and income.
The fair served as a unified platform for the agricultural community, hosting various agro input dealers who showcased their products. It provided farmers with access to affordable and high-quality inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, and agrochemicals. Additionally, it facilitated networking opportunities for agribusinesses to engage with potential clients and promote technological advancements aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity.
Organized by the Bono Regional Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) Ghana under the AbinBev project, the fair aimed to bolster the productivity of smallholder maize farmers by improving their access to essential agricultural products and resources.
Challenges
The Regional Director of Agriculture, Dennis Abugri Amenga, said smallholder farmers in recent times had often faced significant challenges in accessing quality inputs and timely information for their farming activities.
He said the situation had often created a gap that impeded their productivity and hindered the improvement of their incomes and livelihoods.
He said the AbinBev input fair was organised to bring together agro input companies to connect with aggregators, Farmer Based Organisations (FBOs) and smallholder farmers in the Wenchi, Tain and Banda areas.
Mr Amenga said the platform was to provide farmers access to input and services of agro input dealers to eliminate the frustrations they go through to access them.
He said the department of agriculture had taken the farmers through best agriculture practices to help improve their yields. Mr Amenga said the fair, which was part of the several activities under the AbinBev project was to also help the input dealers to have access to markets for their inputs and services.
He urged the participants to identify mutually beneficial partners, build viable networks, enhance and update their skills, attitude, knowledge and aspirations.
Significant
The Municipal Director of Agriculture in Wenchi, Emmanuel Kwabena Afful, emphasized the event’s importance in boosting productivity and sustainability within the region.
Highlighting agriculture as Ghana’s backbone, he stressed the need to introduce farmers to modern technologies, inputs, and innovations that could revolutionize the agricultural landscape.
Mr. Afful called upon stakeholders in the agriculture industry to collaborate closely in building a robust and resilient sector capable of sustaining communities and fostering national development.