Yam farmers in the Oti region have appealed to the government to ban the importation of fake agro-chemicals into the country to help reduce post-harvest losses in the yam farming areas.
Speaking to Asaase News, Bitolib Benson Donkor, the 2023 overall district best farmer from Nkwanta North, said the introduction of fake agro-chemicals into the Ghanaian market is largely affecting the produce, hence affecting the development of their farms.
He also appealed to the youth to engage in farming to reduce the unemployment rate in the country.
According to him, farming is a good and respectful self-employment opportunity that makes a lot of money and hence must be prioritised.
The farmers reiterate the need for the government to ban the importation of fake agrochemicals into the country to enable them to revert to the use of organic fertilisers.
This came up at a sensitization workshop organised by the Ghana Investment Promotion Council held in Dambai for businesses in the Oti region.
The workshop was aimed at guiding them on how to get a market for their produce, both local and international.
Director of Investor Services at GIPC, Evelyn Nyarko, identified agro-processing as the number one business in the region, with yam being the most common commodity.
She noted that farmers need the requisite training on the best practices for their produce to be accepted on international markets.
Madam Nyarko said it is important to educate farmers in the area on good yam farming practices that are up to world market standards.
Speaking to the media, she bemoaned how yam exporters from Ghana continue to count their losses due to the low quality of the product.
She, therefore, appealed for the construction of storage facilities that can store the yams for longer periods.
Reporting by Solomon Mensah-Ahiable in the Oti Region
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