Entrepreneurs diary

There is intense anxiety amongst rice farmers in the Northern Region as they are plagued by a myriad of problems. According to the farmers, not only is a government offered price for their last year’s produce inadequate, but the lack of tractors to plough the farms is an even more debilitating headache, placing their business in a rather precarious situation. The government has been touting its credentials in the area of agriculture and the successes chalked up in increasing food production and job creation. But the farmers say a dark cloud of uncertainty, anxiety, fear and frustration hang over them this season as they have watched their hope of making sustainable earnings from their sweat dashed. Speaking in the Northern Regional capital, Tamale, some of the rice farmers told journalists that this year’s farming season did not hold good prospects. Asked why, they said a government programme to buy back their produce posed serious challenges because the amount offered by ...

A farmers’ group has said lack of affordable financing and infrastructure remains the major challenge facing smallholder farmers in the Northern Region. The group at Banggiyili community in the Sanarugu District said through the intervention of the Alliance for Green Revolution for Africa (AGRA) projects, they were up to date with best farming practices but what was preventing them from adopting those practices was lack of access to affordable finance. Mr Alhassan Seidu, Secretary of the group, said through farm demonstrations by the Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) farmers had learnt that it was more profitable to take keen interest in managing the soil and give it the correct dosage of fertilizer. “We have seen all these best practical methods but our challenge is that we don’t have resources to practice it on our farm. Aside that after one strives to crop, it becomes also difficult to transport the food stuff to marketing centre”, he said The farmers s...