Anthony Morrison
THE CHAMBER of Agribusiness, Ghana, has asked government to review its fertiliser subsidy programme because it is not serving its intended purpose.
According to the chamber, although the subsidy programme, aimed at boosting the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme, was laudable, it has not been efficient.
Chief Executive Officer of the chamber, Anthony Morrisson, noted,
“We all know that the suppliers and importers of fertiliser are owed by the government. The chamber is proposing that, possibly, we have come to the end of the road where PFJ is not sustainable. PFJ, as a project, lacks the needed strategies and there must be a rethink. We are asking that, can the industry further be deregulated so that if I have a farm and I have five thousand acres, I should be able to import my own fertiliser and not depend on any fertilizer importing company. Maybe farmer-based organisations whose total number is more than five thousand can be given permits to import fertilisers for only their farms.”
“Maybe, we have reached a point where there must be complete deregulation of the fertiliser downstream so that people begin to bring in what they can consume,” he said.
– Citibusiness