The International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) is calling on government to invest heavily in balanced fertilizers to increase agricultural yields and become a major exporter of fertilizer in Africa.
Fertilizer producers in Ghana have migrated from producing blanket fertilizers to balanced fertilizers which are in varieties to provide the exact fertilizers the soil and the crops need, a development the International Fertilizer Development Center commends.
According to the association, Ghana has what it takes to become the number one hub of balanced fertilizer exportation if the necessary attention and help is given to private fertilizer manufacturing companies.
In an interview with journalists at the Glofert Site in Asuboi Suhum as part of an industrial tour on an international workshop on delivering balanced crop nutrition to small scale farmers, the President of IFDC, Mr Patrice Annequin said the country can not afford to use blanket fertilizers in this day and age.
“Ghana has moved from blanket fertilizers to balanced fertilizers so that means for the first time in Ghana farmers, will use the type of fertilizer depending on the kind of crops in every region and soils are also getting the exact fertilizers required by the crops for proper growth.”
“We are trying to pass some messages not only to Ghanaian stakeholders involved in the agric sector but also to Africa at large and if possible to the world that we can not afford to use blanket fertilizers but we have to fine-tune what is required by the crop and depending on the soil because you can make profit on the kind of fertilizer you use. Everyone knows it is expensive but you need to be in a more business-oriented mood as a country or farmer if you want to make a good living out of it.”
He added that, “Ghana has what it takes to produce its foods on a large scale because it has learnt that with the will power and with the right political will Ghana can do it because it has all the right ingredient and fertilizers to make it happen.”
On his part, Rev Foster Mawuli Benson, the Chief Executive Officer of Glofert limited, the largest balanced fertilizer producers in the country, called on government to support the local companies by reducing the importation of blended fertilizers.
“The fertilizers we are producing now in the country is applicable to all crops because they are tailor-made to the soil type which provides all the nutrients that are lacking in the soil. So whichever crop you want we can blend the fertilizers to meet the soil need or crop need. This will completely help to eliminate the importation of fertilizers. So if Ghana was previously importing blended fertilizers, now we have in house companies who are also producing it here and Glofert the largest fertilizer production company in Ghana now produces over 2,400 metric tonnes of fertilizer a day so if we can do this then imagine what we can do in a year.”
“So we are calling on government to support the local companies by reducing the importation of blended fertilizers because we have the capacity to produce tailored fertilizers that the soils need,” he added.
