Pepper farmers in Zaare, who cultivate vegetables, specifically pepper, on irrigated lands under the Irrigation Company of Upper Regions (ICOUR) Vea Irrigation Scheme, were recently in the news demanding government support to help them sell large quantities of peppers that were going bad due to the lack of a ready market.
The farmers said all attempts to find buyers for their produce have proved futile.
Speaking on the matter, the Bolgatanga Municipal Director of the Department of Food and Agriculture, Ms. Lantana Osman, explained that a major mistake many farmers make is failing to secure markets before going into production.
She made these remarks in an interview with A1 Radio’s Seidu Mutawakil on the Day Break Upper East show.
According to her, the situation is worsened by the Department’s inability to gather reliable data on farmers, the crops they intend to cultivate, and the acreage involved. This, she said, makes it difficult for the Department to provide the necessary technical support.
“Usually, it is after production that they begin looking for the market. At that point, we have little or no role to play. It then becomes a matter between them and their usual buyers within the market system. Ideally, they should enter into arrangements with buyers before they start production,” she said.
Ms. Osman further noted that another factor contributing to the glut is that farmers often begin production at the same time, leading to simultaneous harvesting and oversupply.
“They start production at the same time, so they harvest at the same time. Everyone harvests within the municipality at the same time. Instead of one cooperative planting at one point and another starting later to stagger production, that is not happening,” she explained.
She added that when harvesting occurs all at once, farmers become vulnerable to spoilage and extremely low prices.
Ms. Osman indicated that the Department is unable to effectively coordinate farming activities for optimal results because many farmers prefer to operate independently.
“That person [farmer] wants to do his own thing at his own time,” she noted.
However, she expressed hope that the new cooperative system under the Feed Ghana Programme will introduce a more structured approach to farming and marketing.
A1 Radio | 101.1 Mhz | Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith | Bolgatanga
