Some farmers in the northern part of the country are frustrated and in despair as the relief items promised by the government to bring them respite have not been distributed a month after the exercise was scheduled to begin.
The farmers in about eight regions of Ghana suffered a heavy dry spell this year leading to the mass destruction of their crops. The situation was further exacerbated by the perennial spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso which led to a twin problem.
With the destruction of large acreage of farmlands, the source of livelihoods for many affected farmers was at risk while the food security of the entire country was on the brink. As part of a national response programme to mitigate the impact of the dry spell on farmers, the government announced relief packages for all affected farmers.
Minister for Agriculture Bryan Acheampong revealed that over 800,000 farmers in the eight regions affected by the drought will receive food grants which includes 25kg rice and 100kg maize in addition to some cash transfers. This distribution, the minister emphasized will begin on October 10, 2024.
To qualify for the relief items, farmers and their farms must be fully registered on the Ghana Agricultural and Agribusiness Platform App (GhAAP). With the assistance of some dedicated extension officers, farmers who register on the app will be assisted to get their farms mapped on the app and hence qualify for the grants.
But over a month after the October 10 date when the distribution was expected to begin, farmers who have fully registered are yet to receive the relief items as their plight continues to worsen. Others awaiting the services of the extension officers to map their farms on the platform have not been able to do so due to the inadequate personnel for the job.
Programmes Officer at the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Bismark Owusu Nortey says so far only 30% of farmers have been able to fully register but have not received any relief item.
He further adds that the cumbersome nature of the process has led to frustration among some farmers who are now discouraged from even registering on the app.
“Now as I’m talking to you, since the 10th of October there have been farmers who have gone to register, they have registered on the app and they’ve not had their farms mapped. In fact, the data we have shows that less than 30% of farmers who have registered have had their farms mapped. The information is if you don’t have your farm mapped you can’t benefit. The failure to have their farms mapped has nothing to do with the farmer but the fact that they have limited extension officers who are not able to move to all the farms,” the Programmes Officer for the Peasant Farmers lamented.
He added that “so now a lot of farmers have registered and do not have their farms mapped. Others too are not encouraged to register. Even for those for those who have had their farms mapped, up to now, they are not sure when the relief items are coming.”
