Include farmers in government’s coronavirus stimulus package - ActionAid appeals

The ActionAid Ghana (AAG), women and children rights advocacy non-governmental organisation has appealed to government to include farmers in the COVID-19 stimulus package to support businesses in the country.

Mr. Binado K. Tontie, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Programme Manager of AAG made the appeal in an interview with the media after the distribution of some food and other relief items to 87 selected basic school children on Tuesday at Kodiwohia, near Kenyase in the Asutifi North District of Ahafo Region.

Each child received a five kilogramme rice, a litre of cooking oil, a nose musk, one alcohol-based hand sanitizer, a litre of liquid soap and a pack of 10 pieces sanitary pad (for females) to support their parents for their upkeep.

He observed that farmers had exhausted their monies in catering for their children at home following the closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic and their inclusion would be a boost to achieve abundant food production to avert possible national food shortage.

Mr. Tontie observed that due to the prevention of COVID-19, some markets were shut down and consequently, the produce of some farmers got rotten in the bush whilst others had poor sales.

Many of the farmers could also not repay their loans, which had become a challenge for them to approach the financial institutions for additional loans, he added.

Many farmers also, for fear of contraction of the virus had decided not to work or engage labourers to assist in their farming activities, Mr. Tontie said.

The situation had, therefore, made it necessary for the government to support farmers for continuous and maximum food production to save the country from food insecurity, he stated.