Cotton farmers call for subsidy on inputs
By GNA Regional News | Wed, 14 May 2008
WA, May 14, GNA- Cotton Growers Association, made up of members from the Northern, Upper East and West Regions, appealed to government to subsidise farming inputs to retain them in the cultivation of the crop to save the industry from collapse.
The farmers said the high increase in the cost of cotton production over the years had led to a continues decline in the production of the crop.
These were contained in a petition to President John Agyekum Kufuor through the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hikah Benson, at Wa on Wednesday.
According to them in the 2007/2008 crop season, they paid off their farming loans with 310 kilogrammes of seed cotton and needed about 410 kilogrammes to do the same this year.
The petition said Since the average yield per unit (1.25 acres) of cotton cultivated was about 500 kilogrammes, many farmers would not be able to re-pay loans contracted from cotton companies.
It also said cotton, often described as "white gold" accounted for a high per cent of the Gross Domestic Product of Burkina Faso, which produced 600,000 kilogrammes of the crop in 2005.
The petition said world trade differentials, non-value addition to cotton, "political lip-service" to the development in the production of crop in the North, deteriorating weather and climatic conditions and
high cost of production due to high cost of inputs as major causes for the decline in cotton production.
It said the hike in crude oil prices in the world market from below 50 US dollars per barrel to over 120 US dollars this year has also greatly affected the cotton farmers' ability to cope with production levels.
The farmers complained of the zoning system, which according to them did not encourage competition.
They said as a result, out of 13 companies working in the North part of the country as at the time of the zoning, only two companies, namely the Ghana Cotton Company and New Lox were operating.
The farmers said New Lox had also threatened to pull out this year.
They called on the government to recognize the plight of farmers who had to cope with an average increase of 82 per cent in prices of inputs and to assist them spray their farms as was done for cocoa farmers.
The petition also asked government to encourage micro credit schemes, municipal and district assemblies to offer credit facilities to cotton farmers.
Mr Benson commended the farmers sending a petition to the President instead of embarking on a demonstration, which some people with similar problems would have done.
He said government would take steps to address problems facing the cotton industry.
The farmers said the high increase in the cost of cotton production over the years had led to a continues decline in the production of the crop.
These were contained in a petition to President John Agyekum Kufuor through the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hikah Benson, at Wa on Wednesday.
According to them in the 2007/2008 crop season, they paid off their farming loans with 310 kilogrammes of seed cotton and needed about 410 kilogrammes to do the same this year.
The petition said Since the average yield per unit (1.25 acres) of cotton cultivated was about 500 kilogrammes, many farmers would not be able to re-pay loans contracted from cotton companies.
It also said cotton, often described as "white gold" accounted for a high per cent of the Gross Domestic Product of Burkina Faso, which produced 600,000 kilogrammes of the crop in 2005.
The petition said world trade differentials, non-value addition to cotton, "political lip-service" to the development in the production of crop in the North, deteriorating weather and climatic conditions and
high cost of production due to high cost of inputs as major causes for the decline in cotton production.
It said the hike in crude oil prices in the world market from below 50 US dollars per barrel to over 120 US dollars this year has also greatly affected the cotton farmers' ability to cope with production levels.
The farmers complained of the zoning system, which according to them did not encourage competition.
They said as a result, out of 13 companies working in the North part of the country as at the time of the zoning, only two companies, namely the Ghana Cotton Company and New Lox were operating.
The farmers said New Lox had also threatened to pull out this year.
They called on the government to recognize the plight of farmers who had to cope with an average increase of 82 per cent in prices of inputs and to assist them spray their farms as was done for cocoa farmers.
The petition also asked government to encourage micro credit schemes, municipal and district assemblies to offer credit facilities to cotton farmers.
Mr Benson commended the farmers sending a petition to the President instead of embarking on a demonstration, which some people with similar problems would have done.
He said government would take steps to address problems facing the cotton industry.
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