Don't politicise agric – Yamson to government

A former board chairman of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) and Chairman of Yamson and Associates, Dr Ishmael Yamson, has advised government not to play politics with the country’s agriculture if it wants to see the improvement it desires

According to him, successive governments have failed to improve the sector because of politicisation.

Arguing his stance, Dr Yamson queried the modalities involved in the distribution of fertilisers to peasant farmers in the country.

Speaking in an interview with Class Business on the sidelines of the Benso Oil Palm Plantation (BOPP) 40th anniversary symposium in Accra on Wednesday, July 5 on the theme: “BOPP – An Agri-Business Model for National Agricultural Revolution”, Dr Yamson called on government to ensure that every farmer gets what is due him to improve his livelihood.

He said: “The biggest agricultural venture we have in Ghana is the Cocoa Marketing Board and it’s politically tainted. We use fertiliser as politics because most of the time fertiliser goes to the regions, districts, towns and it goes to party chairmen. This is not a secret, we all know it. And I think that, therefore, the purpose of providing fertiliser is then defeated because it doesn’t go to those who need it.

“Why is it that we have a situation where fertiliser was being sold when it was supposed to be given to farmers for free? How come some people could get large quantities to make it possible for them to sell some? So when I talk about it, this is just one example.

“We should take that out and just be rational and purposeful. If we have to give fertilisers to farmers, let’s find a way of ensuring that every farmer gets it irrespective of the party he/she belongs to.”