Expose Fertilizer Cheats - Farmers Urged
Author: Daily Guide - Daily Guide
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008
THE DISTRICT Chief Executive (DCE) of Bawku West, Desmond Bugbilla has asked farmers in the area to report persons who sell the Government's Subsidized Fertilizer Programme Coupons as well as horde subsidized fertilizers.
He has warned that his office would not spare anyone or group of persons caught in such acts, adding that the help of affected farmers would be needed to assist in arresting the saboteurs.
The DCE was speaking in an interview at Zebila in response to reports of fraudulent sale of coupons that are meant to be free.
Another complaint was that some well-to-do persons in the area manage to buy the subsidized fertilizers in large quantities for hording, with the intention of reselling them when fertilizers become scarce or the programme ends.
Unfortunately, however, the farmers who raised these issues lacked the courage to expose the offenders, thereby leaving the Assembly and stakeholders with no choice than to treat the issues as mere allegations.
On July 3, 2008 government officially kick-started a nationwide programme where the Central Government pays almost half the price of every bag of fertilizer bought by a subsistence farmer, as part of efforts to lessen the burden on farmers, especially the rural poor whose livelihood largely depended on farming and could not afford fertilizers.
Under the programme, District Agric Directors, and not the District Chief Executives, are expected to distribute the coupons to subsistence farmers in their localities through the Agric Extension Officers and their Assistants, to prevent overcrowding at the Agric offices which in most cases resulted in “whom you know”, thereby depriving the real subsistence farmers the opportunity to get the fertilizers.
The programme has taken off successfully in the Builsa District in the Upper East Region, where the District Director of Agriculture, Paul Sandoh Ayagiyba, in an interview with DAILY GUIDE at Sandema said measures had been put in place for people who are not subsistence farmers to benefit from the programme.
“My Ministry is committed to the success of the programme and would not shield anyone caught in any malpractice. The punishment for any fraudulent deal is outright dismissal,” he warned.
From Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Zebila
