GOVT'S POLICY ON FERTILISE SUBSIDY VERY USEFUL (D/G Monday August 18, 2008 PAGE 36)

IN July, this year, the government introduced a policy on fertiliser subsidies.
Under the programme, the government would from this month up to December, this year, spend about US$14 million in subsidising fertilisers sold to farmers to encourage them to improve upon agricultural production.
Currently, the prices of popular fertilisers such as urea, sulphate of ammonia, NPK 15-15-15 and NPK 23-10-05 are GH¢26, GH¢18, GH¢26 and GH¢24 respectively.
Before the reduction of the prices, urea was selling at GH¢49 per bag while sulphate of ammonia went for GH¢31 with NPK 15-15-15 and NPK 23-10-05 being sold for GH¢48 and GH¢45 respectively.
To access the fertilisers, farmers and prospective buyers have to get coupons from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) offices, District Agricultural offices or Agricultural Extension offices.
The coupons are then presented to the dealers for the supply of the fertilisers. All coupons received by dealers should be forwarded to the fertiliser companies for submission to the government for payment of the subsidy component.
The implementation of the programme in the Upper East Region appears to be achieving some success as farmers have hailed the policy and are seizing every opportunity to ensure that they make the best out of the provision.
A visit to some district capitals in the region, such as Bawku and Sandema, attest to the fact that the farmers have wholeheartedly welcomed the policy and are committed to seeing to it that they benefit from it.
Information gathered by the Daily Graphic from the various stakeholders in the implementation of the programme showed that the policy would ensure a better yield for the farmers.
In an interview with the Builsa District Director of Agriculture, Mr Paul Ayagiba, he said many farmers in the district had availed themselves of the opportunity and were waiting to be issued with coupons by Agricultural Extension Officers which they would be required to produce before any sales would be made to them by the fertiliser dealers.
He, however, stated that there were a few challenges.
To find lasting solutions to the problem, he said the Regional Agricultural Directorate had encouraged chiefs and other opinion leaders in the region to educate their people on the importance of the programme.
"We believe that with education, the people will appreciate the benefits to be derived from this policy," Mr Ayagiba said, adding that the policy was geared towards assisting farmers to make profit.
He expressed the hope that the farmers would embrace the programme in order to increase their yield.
Mr Ayagiba urged farmers to report any act of corruption by the Agricultural Extension Officers to the District or Regional Directors of Agriculture for the appropriate action to be taken.
A fertiliser dealer in the Builsa District, Mr Daniel Alabadek, described the policy as very laudable, explaining that in the past, farmers were buying fertilisers at exorbitant prices but the new arrangement had reduced their headaches.
"Due to the high prices of fertilisers, many farmers were unable to buy to increase production but with the policy, many farmers can now afford to buy and apply fertilisers on their farms," Mr Alabadek said.
He encouraged farmers to heed the advice of the extension officers in order to derive maximum benefit from the programme.
At Bawku, farmers who had not heard the good news were advised to take advantage of the new government policy to increase their production in order to improve their lifestyles and to prevent food shortage that was experienced in the region last year.
Government agencies like MoFA and the Information Services Department have all carried out public education to educate the public on the benefits of the policy.
Agriculture remains a strong option for achieving the nation's growth and poverty reduction objectives. There is, therefore, the need for all stakeholders engaged in the implementation of the policy to play their assigned roles effectively to prevent its abuse.