The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) has debunked claims made by the opposition NDC over the scarcity of fertilizer in the Volta region.
According to the Ministry this is an attempt to cast dark clouds over the Ministers visit in the region which has yield a successful start with dumbfounded testimonies from beneficiaries’ famers of the hugely popular planting for Food and Jobs.
On Monday, the Volta region’s National Democratic Congress (NDC) issued a press statement alleging a widespread shortage of vital agricultural inputs, interrupting the minister’s tour to the region.
Responding to claims made by the NDC communication team, the ministry indicated that the fertilizers were only available to approved shops in 26 border districts across the country, six of which were in the region.
The Ministry claimed that while fertilizers were available and data revealed increased yields in the region, the opposition party’s shouts of doom were simply for show, bearing the anguish of smuggling syndicates harmed by reduced trade in border districts.
According to the Ministry, there have been a robust agricultural system in the region that showed no signs of failing.
The Ministry observed that the countryside shows that there has been a very successful harvest in the high season.
“The rains have been good and we hope for a good harvest in the Volta region in the small season, and the doomsayers want to express that there will be a shortage”, the ministry added.
However, the ministry stated that “during the first three years, farmers in the Volta region were reluctant to respond to the Planting for Food and Jobs program,” after which input consumption grew and policy implementation and prospects improved.
They also mentioned that the coronavirus epidemic had harmed fertilizer output around the world, raising fears of food shortages.
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