The Volta Regional Chapter of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on President Akufo-Addo to quickly resolve the shortage of Fertilizers in the region to ease the suffering of farmers.
According to the Party, the frustrating shortage has resulted in the incidence of hoarding of fertilizers for sale to farmers at astronomical prices.
A statement signed by the Regional Communication Officer, Sorkpa Agbleze said, “The NDC in the Volta Region can authoritatively confirm the shortage of fertilizers in the Volta region after a thorough investigation of complaints by farmers in almost all districts and municipalities within the region”.
The party revealed that the Agric Department within the Angola District is aware of this predicament.
“A 25kg of subsidized Urea Fertilizer that was going for GHC 48 is now being sold for GHC120 within the Anloga District by a dealer who has hoarded the Fertilizer. This story is known to the Agric Department within the Anloga District.
“The shortage of Fertilizers has resulted in small scale farmers standing long hours in queues for Fertilizer but they eventually go home empty handed, even though they have the means of paying for the subsidized fertilizers”, the statement added.
The released said, the situation is worse within the Anloga, South Tongu, Agotime-Ziope, Adaklu Districts and Keta, Ketu South and Ketu North Municipalities of the Region.
The party bemoaned that, the NDC Volta is surprised about the fertilizer shortage because in August 2019, Dr. Bawumia commissioned the Glofert fertilizer factory under the 1D1F at Asuboi in the Ayensuano district of the Eastern region with a production capacity of 800,000 metric tonnes per year which is above the 600,000 metric tonnes required by Ghanaians a year.
“We are at lost why the Agric Minister will say Ghana will soon have a fertilizer manufacturing plant to produce fertilizers locally when Dr Bawumia already commissioned one. Where then is the Glofert fertilizer factory commissioned by Dr. Bawumia in 2019?”, they quizzed.
Prior to this, the NDC denoted, “the flagship programme of the Nana Addo government which is the ‘planting for food and jobs’ is the woefully failing in the Volta Region, and thus the people are calling for Block Farming system that was introduced under NDC.
The Volta NDC is therefore tasking President Akufo-Addo to heed their call and settle the impasse.
” The NDC Volta agrees with the call made by H.E John Mahama about shortage of fertilizers and wish to call on President Nana Addo and the Minister of Agriculture to as a matter of urgency resolve the disturbing shortage of subsidized fertilizers in the Volta Region in order to alleviate the plight of farmers”.
