Smuggling of fertilizer increase in UWR – Abu Kansangbata

Subsidized fertilizers meant for farmers in the northern parts has become a brisk business along the districts bordering neighbouring Burkina Faso due to the increase in smuggling and black market deals.

Mr. Abu Kansangbata, Nadowli District Chief Executive, said reports reaching the Upper West Regional Executives of National Democratic Congress (NDC) show that the fertilizers were being smuggled out to neighbouring Burkina Faso for higher prices to the detriment of the Ghanaian farmer.

He made this known during an award ceremony organised by the Tertiary Education Institutional Network (TEIN) in the region in Wa on Monday.

The event which honoured Mr. Abu Kansangbata, Mr. Caesar Kale, Deputy Upper West Regional Minister and Mr. Foster Abenyo, an Economic Lecturer at the Wa Campus of the University for Development Studies, was to recognize them for their contribution towards the growth and development of the NDC in the region.

Mr. Kansangbata, who is also a member of the NDC Upper West Regional Communication Team explained that the activities of smugglers were likely to create some artificial shortages of the commodity and was aimed at making the government unpopular among farmers in the region.

He appealed to security agencies manning the borders to deal with persons engaged in the illegal transaction of the fertilizers to serve us a detriment to others.

He said government was currently subsidizing fertilizers for farmers by 43.7 per cent as part of its pro-poor interventions to boost food crop production.

Mr. Kansangbata appealed to the national executives of the NDC to adequately resource all TEIN branches and make them operational to help educate Ghanaians on the achievements of President John Atta Mill’s three and a half year’s administration, to encourage the electorate to vote for the NDC in the December 7 elections.

Mr. Khalid Abdul Rahman, Wa Central Constituency Secretary of the NDC, said government had laid a solid development foundation in Ghana, an achievement that would encourage the Ghanaian voter to vote for the NDC come December 7.

He said supporters of the NDC should not be scared about the recent happenings in the party but to be rest assured that the NDC would win the general elections to complete its development agenda for the country.

Mr. Abdul Rahman urged the members of TEIN to work harder than before wherever they found themselves and help win more parliamentary seats for the NDC.

Mr. Mohammed Yusif, outgoing President of the Wa Campus of the University for Development, TEIN, called for peace and unity in NDC through appropriate management of differences among party executives and between the former President Jerry John Rawlings and President John Atta Mills.

He appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders and the media to advocate for peace at all times and shun those whose utterances were likely to cause trouble in the country.**