Amartey Kope rice farmers urge transparent, non-political distribution of government support

Rice farmers at Amartey Kope, a farming community near Akuse in the Eastern Region, have commended the government's continued efforts to support agriculture but are calling for more direct and transparent delivery of assistance, free from political interference.

The farmers voiced their concerns during a visit by officials from the AritaGlobe Foundation, who were in the community as part of their ongoing Green Dialogue Series Project aimed at assessing the impact of climate change on farming.

While acknowledging several government initiatives to aid agriculture, the farmers said that getting the assistance to those who truly need it remains a major challenge.

Speaking during the engagement, local rice farmer Mr. Jones Akpaglo said: “Government can come in. For instance, government can give subsidies to farmers. Government needs to channel the resources through the right people so that those peasant farmers can get it.”

He stressed that the issue is not a lack of initiatives but rather how the support is distributed. “But sometimes because of politics, even though government will implement some good initiatives, but the product will not get to the people who really need it to put it to good work. We need to target those that truly need the assistance in order to let the intended purpose of those funds be realised,” he added.

Mr. Akpaglo also highlighted the high cost of rice farming and the mounting risks posed by climate change.

“Right from the land preparation, you need money because sometimes you have to spray the farm three times with weedicide before you prepare the land and then the machine that will come and plough the land too, all these things are capital intensive. And so imagine investing Ghc 20,000 and at the end you get nothing. What happens to you? How are you going to take care of the family? All these are challenges that are really affecting us,” he lamented.

The AritaGlobe Foundation’s visit to Amartey Kope forms part of a broader effort to collect firsthand accounts from farmers across the country, which will feed into a national report and documentary aimed at shaping policies and strengthening climate adaptation strategies.

For the farmers at Amartey Kope, the message remains clear: while government support is valued, it must be delivered fairly, directly, and without political barriers to truly make a difference at the grassroots level.