Vice-President Dr Bawumia has directed Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to purchase all fertilisers intended for supply to cocoa farmers locally next year, given that local fertiliser companies have the capacity to supply them.
Fertiliser supplies are to be made via the “Fertiliser for Cocoa” channel, under the government’s flagship One District, One Factory programme.
According to Dr Bawumia, the country has enough fertiliser factories in operation. These factories are capable of providing inputs for cocoa farming and meeting the local demand from COCOBOD, he said.
The vice-president’s request follows the commission of new fertiliser companies in Ghana this year under the One District, One Factory programme.
In August 2019, Vice-President Bawumia commissioned the Glofert Fertiliser processing company, Ghana’s largest.
In fertiliser for cocoa farming, the company prides itself on being equipped to produce inputs which suit all soil types and enable greater productivity as well as easier cultivation of crops.
The move to commission new fertiliser companies is also in line with the government’s One District, One Factory policy.
The US$4.5 million Glofert facility aims to ensure food security by promoting excellent yields for farmers.
Glofert processing company
Vice-President Bawumia, speaking at the inauguration of Glofert in Accra, touted the many benefits that will accrue to the country with the establishment of the facility. He also welcomed the jobs it will provide for residents and people with other skillsets.
“Today I want to challenge the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and COCOBOD. that with the coming on stream of Glofert, we know that the fertiliser blending plant in Ghana can meet our total demand and have excess capacity. We therefore do not have any reason to be … importing more and more fertiliser and wasting our foreign exchange in doing so,” the vice-president said.
Glofert produces urea and ammonium sulphate fertilisers, as well as various types of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium (NPK), which are widely used by farmers in Ghana and across the West African sub-region.
Early this month, President Akufo-Addo also commissioned a factory for OmniFert Fertiliser, a wholly Ghanaian-owned manufacturing company in Tema.
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In August 2019, however, five people were arrested in Somanya for transporting over 4,000 bags of smuggled fertiliser meant for cocoa farmers in the Western Region.
Smuggling of cocoa inputs
The party of five was caught at Asomdwoe Krom, a suburb of Somanya in the Eastern Region, offloading a truck with the registration number GM 206-17 at a private residence.
Elsewhere, in July, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture suspended nine municipal and district assemblies in four Northern regions from engaging in retail haulage and distribution of government-subsidised fertilisers under the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.
The ban was made necessary by repeated reports of infractions, misappropriation and alleged smuggling of subsidised fertiliser to neighbouring countries.
