General News of Friday, 6 December 2019
Source: adomonline.com
2019-12-06
Peasant farmers
Programmes Officer for Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), Bismark Nortey, has expressed his displeasure in the government for ‘neglecting’ small-scale farmers despite their contribution to the economy.
According to him, PFAG expects today [Farmers’ Day] to be a joyous occasion for smallholder farmers but underground challenges have limited their celebrations.
He said some smallholder farmers are battling with post-harvest losses and lack of market while others do not have the necessary equipment for harvesting.
Speaking on Accra-based UTV, monitored by Adomonline.com, he said despite the governments’ intervention in the agricultural sector for the past 35 years, their challenges keep multiplying.
“In as much as we and the government are looking forward to celebrations like this, we expect the government to provide our needs instead of always initiating programmes. We plead for the programmes to be implemented to the extent that the objectives will be achieved,” he said.
He further pleaded with the government to enhance small-scale farming, adding that they produce about 70-80% of the produce consumed in the country.
“We do not have large scale but in terms of numbers and output, we produce about 70- 80% of the food we eat in the country. If you buy your tomatoes, you are consuming the effort of the peasant farmer but not the commercial farmers,” he said.
