The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) is calling on government to widen its fertiliser support strategy by engaging manufacturers and suppliers to reduce market prices, warning that free distribution alone is insufficient to meet national demand.
The appeal follows the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s recent rollout of 40,000 bags of inorganic fertiliser and five agricultural drones under the Feed Ghana Programme, aimed at supporting smallholder farmers and boosting productivity.
While describing the intervention as positive, PFAG Executive Director Bismark Nortey said the quantities distributed fall far short of the needs of Ghana’s large farming population.
He noted that the association’s membership alone is estimated between 500,000 and one million farmers, making it impossible for the current allocations to reach all intended beneficiaries.
According to him, even with distribution channels extending to districts and constituencies, the total supply remains inadequate when compared to an estimated national farming population of about three million.
He cautioned that relying solely on free fertiliser distribution could place significant pressure on government resources without fully resolving access challenges for farmers.
Nortey therefore proposed a complementary approach that would ensure farmers who do not benefit from free supplies can still access fertiliser at more affordable market prices.
He urged the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to work closely with fertiliser companies to bring down prices, arguing that reduced costs would ease pressure on farmers facing rising production expenses, market gluts and limited access to credit.
PFAG maintains that a blended strategy—combining targeted free distribution with broader market price reductions—would provide more sustainable support for farmers and improve agricultural productivity nationwide.
