Nsakye(Eastern Region) 1st June '99

Mr Bismarck Nettey, President of the Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen (GNAFF), on Friday said American firms have expressed interest in dealing directly with Ghanaian farmers in determining prices for their crops.

He said determining market prices for crops such as pineapple, cassava and maize through middlemen, deny farmers the real value for their produce.

Mr Nettey said this at Nsakye in the Eastern region at a forum to sensitise farmers on the need to form a body to facilitate access to loans from the banks.

He explained that loans are not given to individual farmers but to recognised groups that operate under the GNAFF.

Mr Nettey said the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has lined up a number of projects to help farmers and fishermen to effectively utilise resources to improve their profit margin.

The Agriculture Sector Investment Project (ASIP) has put in place a mechanism to process crops that are perishable and get immediate market for them, he said.

Mr Aaron Ohene, interim chairman of the Nsakye branch of GNAFF, said the main problem facing the farmers in the area is that of financial and marketing, adding that crops sometimes go bad because there are no buyers for them.