The Centre for Women in Agriculture and Nutrition (CWAN), a Non-governmental Organisation based in the Upper West Region, has called on government to create a more stable macro-economic environment. This he said will allow farmers across the country to profit off the investments while helping to uplift small-scale farmers from their economic hardship.
The Executive Director of CWAN, Emmanuel Wullingdool said it is incumbent on government to address the concerns facing the agriculture sector. He made these comments ahead of the reading of the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government to be presented on 17th November 2021.
“We need to have a very stable macro-economic environment. When we talk about the stability of the macro-economy, there are always some key indicators that we are looking at,” he said.
To help stabilize the macro-economy, Mr. Wullingdool suggested that government looks at stabilizing the exchange rate. He explained that the exchange rate affects the prices of goods and services on the market citing recent price hikes on farming inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and other farm implements. “The concerns of many farmers were that they [the inputs] were expensive. If you talk to those who are into the input supply, they will also tell you that they import them and it is an issue of the exchange rate and it affects the prices of agriculture inputs,” he explained.
The Executive Director of CWAN also called on government to readjust indirect taxes particularly those on petroleum products. He recalled that government introduced some indirect taxes in the previous budget explaining that “the problem with indirect taxes is that it is no respecter of persons. So whether you are poor or you are rich, you are literally paying the same amount”.
Mr. Wullingdool suggested that the impact of indirect taxes on the poor is more than the impact on people who are well resourced. He said the idea for taxes is that payment of same must directly commiserate with the level of income as such, indirect taxes cause extreme financial strain on people living in poverty. “An example is the increment in the taxes on petroleum products. When a poor man goes to buy [fuel], he pays the same as the rich man”.
“If you look at the most vulnerable, they are farmers. So where these indirect taxes on petroleum products affect these prices, it really impacts negatively on farmers,” he said.
The Executive Director for CWAN also called on government to address the concerns of farmers in relation to access to credit facilities. He said the credit facilities could be extended to farms inputs rather than wholesale subsidies government offers.
A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHz| Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
