The Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, has met with a cross-section of rice farmers in the Afadzato enclave of the Volta Region to discuss challenges confronting them, particularly the lack of ready market for their produce.
The meeting, held on Sunday at Golokwati in the Afadzato South District, was at the instance of the Member of Parliament for the area, Frank Afriyie, who had drawn the Minister’s attention to the plight of farmers in the enclave.
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Addressing the farmers, Mr Dumelo acknowledged that the current glut of farm produce on the market, though beneficial to consumers and the broader economy, had created difficulties for farmers across the country.
He said the situation in Afadzato was not different from what pertained in other farming communities and assured the farmers of government’s commitment to addressing the challenge.
The Deputy Minister pledged to liaise with the National Food Buffer Stock Company to off-take part of the rice and maize produced by the farmers to enable them recover their production costs.
He also promised that fertilisers would be made available to the farmers at the start of the next cropping season to boost production.
The farmers, who were given the opportunity to share their concerns, cited the lack of market for their produce as their major challenge, noting that it had made it difficult for many of them to service loans contracted for farming activities.
Mr Dumelo assured them that he would soon return to the area with positive feedback on the interventions discussed.
A cross-section of constituency executives was present to receive the Deputy Minister and participate in the engagement.
