The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana has raised serious concerns over the Ministry of Agriculture’s data on the number of farmers affected by the current dry spell, accusing the government of inflating figures.
Speaking on ABC IN THE MORNING on Thursday, Bismark Owusu Nortey, Executive Director of the Association, demanded the Ministry clarify the numbers and be transparent in its dealings.
“We challenge that particular figure because our calculations on the ground do not suggest that the number is that high,” he stated, questioning the Ministry’s assertion that 400,000 farmers have been impacted when their data indicates otherwise.
The dry spell has had devastating effects, particularly in the Upper West, Bono East, and Northern regions, where major crops like maize, rice, and yam are experiencing severe water stress.
The Ghana Meteorological Agency’s earlier warnings have now turned into a harsh reality, with the Agriculture Ministry reporting a potential investment loss of GH¢3.5 billion and a revenue loss of GH¢10.4 billion.
However, Nortey is critical of the Ministry’s reliance on the GHAAP Farmers App to distribute support, pointing out discrepancies.
“From March to August, the total number of farmers registered on that platform is not up to 200,000,” he revealed, casting doubt on the government’s plan to reach over 800,000 farmers using the same system.
Despite the Ministry’s efforts to respond to the crisis by prioritizing farmers under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, Nortey insists that more needs to be done to ensure the fairness and accuracy of aid distribution.
He called on the Ministry to release a detailed database for public scrutiny, adding, “The Ministry should come out with a very clear database of the numbers they are taking around, so we can all verify.”
