‘Govt subsidising 100,000 metric tons of fertiliser’

Page 13, Nov 26, 2010
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

GOVERNMENT is subsidising 100,000 metric tons of fertiliser at an estimated cost of GH¢32million this year, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, has disclosed.
Last year, the government subsidised a total of 72,795 metric tons of fertilisers at the cost of GH¢34.4million using the coupons system.
However, in view of the high administrative cost of printing the coupons and time spent by staff signing all the numerous coupons, as well as the associated abuse, the coupon system has been discontinued with effect from June, 2010.
A waybill receipt system is being employed for administering the fertiliser subsidy programme for 2010.
The Member of Parliament for Ayensuano, Mr Samuel Aye-Paye, had filed a question enquiring from the minister why the fertiliser coupons were yet not ready for farmers to purchase subsidised fertilisers for the main season this year.
Mr Ahwoi said under the new system, the fertiliser companies were to deliver fertilisers to all districts for sale to farmers at the recommended prices as follows: NPK, GH¢27.00, SOA GH¢18.00 and Urea GH¢25.00.
He explained that farmers could easily have access to fertiliser by only walking into a shop and procuring them at subsidised prices without coupons.
Mr Ahwoi said the recommended subsidy would be paid to the fertiliser companies after sales upon the presentation and reconciliation of the accounts with the regional and district directors of agriculture.
Answering another question, the minister said in 2008, about 39 dams destroyed by the 2007/2008 flood in the Upper East Region were under rehabilitation with 24 of them being completed.