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19.12.2014 General News

RE: Masara Never Prosecute Any Farmer

By Peter Akodor
RE: Masara Never Prosecute Any Farmer
19.12.2014 LISTEN

The Masara N' Arziki Farmers' Association has observed with deep regrets attempts by some individuals to destroy and tarnish the good image of the company and the relationship that is existing between it and farmers' groups.

There have been some allegations in an article being distributed to the effect that farmers are saying they have to be made to pay back their credit during times of drought.

The article is also alleging that, whether a poor harvest is the farmers' fault or is due to a disaster beyond farmers' control, Masara N'Arziki is on their neck for settlement, and in the event of failure they are prosecuted.

This claims are falsehoods being perpetrated to undermine and discredit the good works of the company.

However, it is a fact that Masara Na'Arziki does not offer assistance to individual farmers but deals with farmers' groups of five to ten members.

Also, in the event of default, the particular group that is found to be lagging, will be prevented from taking part in the following year. This is the penalty they have to pay, but not prosecution.

Masara Na'Arziki therefore called on farmers who claim they have been prosecuted to come forward. It is also calling on the media which want to do due diligence to verify facts and figures from the company.

Notwithstanding, we all know that maize production has witnessed an increase because of the release of several hybrids and other synthetic varieties.

Despite the increased production over the years, Ghana still has supply deficit and make up for the shortage through imports. Masara N'Arziki, the culmination of industrial maize farmers, was initiated in 2005 by Wienco Ghana Limited to minimize or even eliminate the supply deficit. The main vision of Masara N' Arziki (Hausa phrase meaning maize for prosperity) is to support maize farmers to do what they are doing much better and to help them to get more income through the use of improved technology that increases production of their farms.

The programme package consists of the providing farmers with credit in kind in the form of hybrid maize seeds, fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, spraying equipment and innovative farm implements on credit. Technical advisory and training services are included and these training programmes are to introduce farmers to the most improved methods of maize production. After harvest, farmers are in turn expected to pay back the credit. The repayment is a specified quantity of maize grain farmers are to provide. The quantity to be collected is to be agreed upon between the farmers and Masara N'Arziki at the start of the farming season. The company also promised buying any excess maize from the farmers at competitive market prices.

Since its inception, Masara N'Arziki has therefore contributed positively through increased food production and income especially to the farmers in its operational areas. Despite the achievement of this farmer association especially in the Sissala East and West districts of the Upper West Region, a lot of inconsistencies have happened. These inconsistencies became apparent in the 2012 farming season but they actually peaked and subsequently exerted a heavy toll on farmers in the 2013 farming season. This write-up, strictly focusing on the inconsistencies that occurred in these last two farming seasons, aims to draw the attention of Masara N'Arziki to sincerely reconsider its approaches in dealing with farmers.

The first inconsistency which traces its roots back to the arrival of Masara N'Arziki in the Sissala East and West districts is the manner in which the group demands farmers to pay back. The group claimed that it is only in the event of drought that it will not force farmers to pay back the credit during that season. This demand at first seems sensible because farmers do play a lot of dirty tricks on creditors. However, farming especially cultivating crops using hybrid varieties involves other risks far beyond farmers' control. Apart from drought, some of these risks include bushfires, outbreak of pests and diseases and excessive rains leading to flooding.

With Masara N'Arziki Farmers Association, the magnitude of these risk factors increases because hybrid varieties require more intensive care than the landraces and synthetic varieties which the local farmers are used to growing. For example, a delay in the application of fertilizer even for a week can reduce yield drastically. The aforementioned risks, acting alone or in tandem, can prevent even the most hardworking and experienced farmers from getting good harvest. These disasters may even lead to total crop failure. When any or some of these disasters struck leading to a poor harvest, common sense suggests that a creditor must no longer force the farmers to pay back the credit; thus, the only viable option is to resupply the farmers with credit the following season for them to cultivate the crop and then pay both the current and previous debt.

And to ascertain whether a poor harvest is the farmers' fault or is due to a disaster beyond farmers' control, Masara N'Arziki itself has technical officers supervising all the farmers' field. With the just-ended season in particular, the rains started late delaying the onset of the farming season. The inputs especially the fertilizers arrived late (specify time ploughing, of arrival of seeds, fertilizers, herbicides and/or insecticides). The fertilizers applied by many farmers caked on the field because of drought. The field supervisors of the Masara N'Arziki were duly informed and they visited all the affected farmers' farms and also saw the caked fertilizers and drought-stricken crops.

For those farmers whose fertilizers dissolved, the erratic rainfall pattern especially at the tasselling and silking and/or milking stage drastically reduced the maize yield. The physiology of the development of maize and filling of its grains are strictly dependant on moisture availability at certain critical stage of growth particular at the milking stage. Thus, drought condition at this stage was the principal factor that led to the poor harvest. Technically, grains produced by drought-ridden maize are usually weightless. (Masara N'Arziki buys on weight basis.) Again, both the field supervisors and the chief farmer Karim Nanyua were fully informed and they are both fully aware of these misfortunes.

The first inconsistency which traces its roots back to the arrival of Masara N'Arziki in the Sissala East and West districts is the manner in which the group demands farmers to pay back.. This demand at first seems sensible because farmers do play a lot of dirty tricks on creditors. However, farming especially cultivating crops using hybrid varieties involves other risks far beyond farmers' control. Apart from drought, some of these risks include bushfires, outbreak of pests and diseases and excessive rains leading to flooding.

With Masara N'Arziki Farmers Association, the magnitude of these risk factors increases because hybrid varieties require more intensive care than the landraces and synthetic varieties which the local farmers are used to growing. For example, a delay in the application of fertilizer even for a week can reduce yield drastically. The aforementioned risks, acting alone or in tandem, can prevent even the most hardworking and experienced farmers from getting good harvest.

These disasters may even lead to total crop failure. When any or some of these disasters struck leading to a poor harvest, common sense suggests that a creditor must no longer force the farmers to pay back the credit; thus, the only viable option is to resupply the farmers with credit the following season for them to cultivate the crop and then pay both the current and previous debt.

And to ascertain whether a poor harvest is the farmers' fault or is due to a disaster beyond farmers' control, Masara N'Arziki itself has technical officers supervising all the farmers' field. With the just-ended season in particular, the rains started late delaying the onset of the farming season. The inputs especially the fertilizers arrived late (specify time ploughing, of arrival of seeds, fertilizers, herbicides and/or insecticides). The fertilizers applied by many farmers caked on the field because of drought. The field supervisors of the Masara N'Arziki were duly informed and they visited all the affected farmers' farms and also saw the caked fertilizers and drought-stricken crops.

For those farmers whose fertilizers dissolved, the erratic rainfall pattern especially at the tasseling and silking and/or milking stage drastically reduced the maize yield. The physiology of the development of maize and filling of its grains are strictly dependent on moisture availability at certain critical stage of growth particular at the milking stage. Thus, drought condition at this stage was the principal factor that led to the poor harvest. Technically, grains produced by drought-ridden maize are usually weightless. (Masara N'Arziki buys on weight basis.) Again, both the field supervisors and the chief farmer Karim Nanyua were fully informed and they are both fully aware of these misfortunes.

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