The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana has called for more incentives for farmers in the 2023 budget statement.
In an interview with Citi Business News, the Head of programs and Advocacy at the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Charles Nyaaba said the country will greatly benefit if adequate provision for the agricultural sector is made in the budget which is expected to be presented to Parliament on Thursday, November, 24.
The National Association of Poultry Farmers in the last year have been agitating and demanding a reduction in the prices of maize, soya beans, and other medicines needed for their stock.
Charles Nyaaba also bemoaned the post-harvest losses, which he said is another major problem hindering the overall production of his members.
“A lot of farmers have grown their rice, and they couldn’t harvest it because they couldn’t afford combined harvesters. So we expect to see, in the budget, provisions made for an increased supply of mechanization services. If I talk of mechanization services, I am referring to tractors, combined harvesters, and a rice mill to ensure that we increase our rice production.”
“Most poultry farmers have closed down their farms because they cannot afford maize. The reason why maize supply has gone down and prices have gone high is because of the high price of fertilizer and other inputs for production.”
He further advised that in order to prevent the current situation next year, allocations must be made to the maize farmers to reduce their cost of production and increase their farm size.
“We expect to see budget allocation for people who produce maize to be able to produce with low cost, and increase their farm size so that next year by this time, the prices of maize will go down so that poultry farmers can buy.”