Beyond free fertiliser, post-harvest losses need to be tackled — Lom Ahlijah

The Head of Department at the Faculty of Law, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Lom Nuku Ahlijah, has called for urgent action to address post-harvest losses.

He noted that input support alone will not guarantee food security and overall agricultural development.

His comments follow the announcement by President John Dramani Mahama that farmers will receive free fertilisers this year to boost production and reduce costs.

The policy was unveiled at Takoratwene during the sod-cutting for the first Farmers’ Services Centre, a flagship initiative aimed at strengthening support across the agricultural value chain.

Reacting to the policy on Accra-based JoyNews’ AM show on Monday, March 23, Lom Ahlijah said while the intervention is a step in the right direction, it does not address deeper structural challenges.

“Any intervention to support them, for example, with this fertilizer policy is a good start, but there’s more that needs to be done to really deal with the problem,” he said.

“In Ghana, between 40 to 60% of produce is lost through post-harvest losses… if we are able to address post-harvest losses alone, there’s no even need for new production in many areas,” he added.

He further cautioned that increased production driven by free fertiliser could worsen farmer losses if post-harvest systems are not improved.

He added that institutions such as buffer stock companies must be strengthened to store surplus produce and release it during lean seasons.

According to him, without fixing the “down the line” challenges, Ghana may keep repeating cycles of waste, low farmer returns, and inefficiencies in the agricultural sector.