Talensi, Nabdam farmers engage aspirants(Monday, October 8, 2012 Page 22)

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Tongo PARLIAMENTARY aspirants in the Talensi and Nabdam constituencies in the Upper East Region have pledged their commitments towards pursing programmes and policies that will address challenges facing smallholder farmers when elected into parliament. Messrs David Kurug, Peoples National Convention (PNC) parliamentary aspirant for Nabdam and Emmanuel Gambil Ditamina who is also contesting the same seat on the ticket Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) made the pledge at a day’s forum for smallholder farmers and parliamentary aspirants at Tongo in the Talensi District. Also present were the NDC constituency chairman for Talensi, Mr. Bukari Hammond and his counterpart from the NPP, Mr. Foed K. Tindan who both made similar pledges on behalf of their candidates, Messrs John Tia Akologu, the sitting MP of Talensi and Robert D. Mosore. The forum, organised by Actionaid Ghana was to identify peculiar challenges confronting the smallholder farmer, particularly women and efforts to increase investment for agriculture to enhance food security at the constituency level. Presenting their demands to the parliamentary aspirants and their representatives, the farmers said despite the fact that traditionally, economic activity in the two constituencies just as in the other parts of the region is centred on agriculture, the sector has been plagued with many challenges and therefore appealed to the aspirants to make pledges to address them when elected to parliament. Madam Lydia Miyella, a farmer said the most prominent of the challenges facing the smallholder farmer is the lack of access to fertiliser and other farming inputs and therefore called on the aspirants to help address the problem. For his part, Mr. Maxwell Kparib, another farmer representative identified marketing of thier produce as well as the deplorable state of feeder roads linking the farms to market centres asa major setback toothier enterprise. Another farmer Madam Alice Nsor appealed to the aspirants to in the face of climatic and environmental changes, champion the case of construction of a dams and reservoir for irrigation purposes since it has become an accepted fact that rain-fed farming can no longer be relied on in the quest for food security. Responding to the concerns of the farmers, Mr. Mr. Foed K. Tindan, the NPP Constituency Chairman said modernising agriculture and ensuring food security was fundamental to the party’s programme adding that when voted for the party will modernise agriculture by encouraging the smallholder farmer through the adoption of improved agricultural technology and seeds, mitigate the overreliance on rains and improved access roads to farmlands. For his part, the Talensi Constituency Chairman of the NDC Mr. Bukari Hammond said his party has demonstrated its commitment to farmers by undertaking the block farming concept, subsidising the price of fertilisers, providing access to motorised tricycles to aid farmers cart their farm produce and supply of tractors and tractor services as some of the intervention implanted and pledged the readiness of his party to do more. Mr. David Kurug of the PNC said when voted for he will among others liaise with seed companies to ensure that there are seed distribution outlets in the district for farmers to have access to quality seeds which will contribute to increase in crop production. Mr. Emmanuel Gambil Ditamina, the PPP Parliamentary aspirant for Nabdam said his party when given the nod will facilitate access to funds to enable smallholder farmers engage in profitable ventures. The Policy Advisor on Food Rights and Climate Change for Actionaid Ghana, Madam Queronica Q. Quartey who presented a research paper on public financing of agriculture underscored the need for an increase investment in the sector She noted that in the year 2011 for instance, the budget of MOFA was just 2.8 per cent of the national budget which is woefully inadequate. “If MOFA is supposed to be driving the agriculture agenda and it has just 2.8 per cent of the national budget, then this certainly will lead to poor performance”, she said. “We also realised that out of MOFA’s allocation, only 0.4 per cent goes to the women in agriculture directorate of MOFA to support and address the constraints of women in the sector which is inadequate”, she said, adding that there is the need for increase investment for women smallholder farmers. -End-