Business News of Monday, 15 September 2014

Source: GNA

Government urged to subsidise fertilizer

Nana Yaw Ando, Chief of Fofordor, near Twifo Hemang in the Twifo Hemang Lower District, has called on Government to revert to the policy of subsidizing fertilizers for farmers to help increase cocoa production.

Nana Ando said this at a meeting with cocoa farmers, on the need for government to subsidise the prices of fertilizer for all cocoa farmers of all farm sizes and age.

He said the introduction of the free fertilizer policy was a lofty programme, but was benefitting only a few.

He said the criteria and channel of distributing the fertilizer was rather benefitting people who were not farmers.

Nana Ando called on the government to improve on the channel of distribution to ensure that the items are available to all categories of farmers.

Mr Kwame Nkum, a farmer, who represented the farmers to receive 1,003 bags of fertilizer, expressed appreciation to the government.

He said most farmers complained that they did not receive any fertilizer and this had raised suspicion and tension among farmers in the area and appealed to government to increase the supply so that every farmer would benefit from the package.