Business Farmers Association of Ghana (BUFAG), a farming group inaugurated in the Upper East Region with the hope of adding value and commercializing farming is raising concerns about farmers not getting value for their produce.
According to leaders of the farmer group, market queens who buy directly from farmers end up making 10 times what farmers make from their farm produce.
This for the group remains an unfair market phenomenon that seems not to augur well for the enhancement of farming and mostly leaves the farmer at a loss. The association has therefore set out to work to address this unfair market phenomenon to ensure a win-win for all stakeholders in the farming chain.
Apart from this challenge, the Executive Director of BUFAG, Peter Adongo who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer of Petasgo enterprise is worried about the unavailability of machines such as tractors, and combine harvesters among others to help in the mechanization of agriculture.
It is the hope of Mr. Adongo that the association will be able to work with stakeholders to also address challenges with fertilizer supply and equally tackle post-harvest losses.
According to Mr. Adongo, one issue of concern is the caliber of farmers who annually receive awards as part of the national farmers’ day ceremony.
The group strongly argues that some if not all of the farmers often get recognized is as a result of their political connections. They will therefore want to ensure that farmers who receive such awards are indeed farmers and are putting in place best practices hence deserving of any form of recognition.
Mr. Adongo was speaking Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at the inauguration of BUFAG.
“Farmers will till the land and harvest and our sisters and wives in the market will go and buy it cheaply and make about 10 times what the farmers make. So, the association wants to help the farmers in terms of marketing. Also, post-harvest losses. Farmers will farm and if they are blessed with good yield, they are not able to harvest all or store them properly.
Again, when it comes to the farmers’ day, I want to appeal to the minister to ensure that the selection of farmers for the award ceremony should be non-political. The selection of the farmers should be really best farmers and not political farmers. You should allow the technocrats in the agric sector to properly select the farmers, not by political connection. These are some of the issues we want to work with stakeholders to address.” Mr. Adongo stressed.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu in inaugurating the association, urged stakeholders to use BUFAG as a special-purpose vehicle to commercialize farming.
“No government policy can strive without the support of organizations like BUFAG. let us, therefore, use BUFAG as a special-purpose vehicle to commercialize farming and help our farmers to have access to the market.
I can tell you that now in the Upper East Region, we’re doing roughly about 20-30% of tomatoes”
