Copyright gbcghanaonline
By Mercy Nimo Farmers in Tema are counting their losses as several acres of their farm produce have been severely destroyed due to the lack of storage facilities. The situation has affected over five hundred farmers who are pleading with the government and other benevolent organisations to support them with proper storage facilities to help curb these yearly losses. Ghana’s agricultural sector is a major employer and contributes significantly to the GDP, with approximately 40% of the workforce employed in agriculture (2023 World Bank report). Further statistics show that the agric sector is dominated by small-scale farms, with about 57% of the country’s land classified as agricultural, and staple crops like cocoa, oil palm, cassava, yam, and plantain being the most cultivated. However, Ghana still imports other cereals and vegetables to meet demand. Farmers in Tema cultivate several acres of crops and a variety of vegetables; however, factors such as climate change, the high cost of farm inputs and implements, attacks by pests, and lack of storage facilities are negatively affecting the farming business. During a visit to some farmlands in Tema, few farmers were seen on-site. According to the farmers, the farming area comprises over 600 farmers made up of women and youths. The farmers said most of their colleagues have abandoned the farming business due to difficulties in accessing resources to enhance their farming ventures. They lamented that accessing loans, seeds, fertilizers, farming equipment, and storage facilities was difficult. Another challenge includes poor patronage of the farm produce, resulting in several vegetables, especially onions, going to waste as the farmers could not afford proper storage facilities. At a time when youth unemployment is on the rise, coupled with illegal miners contaminating water bodies and destroying farmlands, it is important for the government to give maximum support to farmers in order to create jobs for the youth. One of the young farmers, 27-year-old Samuel Sarpong, admitted that farming is profitable but added that business is no longer good due to the high costs involved. “I have been farming for 15 years, and I would say farming used to be very good, but these days, farming inputs have become expensive. I invest huge capital into the farm, and I reap just a few profits. Seeds and fertilizers have become very expensive. We are pleading with the government to give us enough support and subsidize farming inputs,” he said. The Chairman of the Farmers Association in Tema, Abraham Doku, said government support to farmers is inadequate. He mentioned that the biggest challenge facing farmers is the lack of storage facilities for their farm produce, which results in post-harvest losses every year. “This year’s post-harvest losses have been the worst ever. We need proper storage facilities. We do not have enough resources to construct them. We even trained some youths, and they joined us, but the insurmountable challenges in the farming venture have demotivated them, and most of them have left. Things have become very expensive and difficult for us, and we are calling on the Agric Ministry and benevolent organizations to help us to relieve some of our burdens,” he added. The farmers also made a clarion call on the government to give much attention to Ghanaian farmers and limit the importation of agricultural products into the country.
