Happy Farmers Day 2023; But not in the Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri District

Ghanaians are celebrating Farmers Week this week.

The climax is on 1st December, the National Farmers and Fishermen’s Day.

But like everything in Ghana these days, if you’re not middle class, you simply cannot afford it. Take Koko and Koose/Maasa, for example.

The ingredients including maize, millet, groundnut, beans and pepper are farmed in the Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri constituency of the North East Region.

However,the cost of fertiliser being so prohibitive, makes Koko and Koose unaffordable to the poor.

“You need 10 cedis before you can have Koko and Koose to your satisfaction as breakfast,” said a student of University of Education Winneba who doesn’t want to be named for fear of victimisation.

The North East Region also produces Okro (okra), tomatoes, rice and bambara beans.

The issue of fertilisers have variously been blamed on the Russia-Ukraine war, import duties, the exchange rate of the cedi to the major trading currencies and high taxation, among others.

“Just last year, if you had two cedis you could buy Koko one cedi and Koose or Maasa one cedi, not so?” said Dr Abed Bandim, Bunkpurugu MP, over the phone when his constituents called him to speak on the matter.

“We are so disappointed in this Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration,” who think they can digitise everything including the issue of fertilisers.

“Added to our misery in the Bunkpurugu-Nankpaduri district, our rural telephony problems are so bad that our farmers cannot even compare prices elsewhere,” Dr Abed Bandim lamented. “This way, our farmers are always losing money even when they buy expensive fertilisers and other chemicals for farming.”

“This farmers’ week is a week of sorrow and agony for us, Honourable,” one constituent said during the phone call. “Please let our voices be heard in Accra.”