Checks by Word News has revealed that more than 1,000 bags of subsidized fertiliser provided by the government under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) Policy for farmers are rotting away inside the yard of the Upper East Regional Police Headquarters.
The items, which were intercepted by the police in July 2019 upon a tip off, are loaded on a cargo truck parked at the headquarters.
The 25 kg bags of fertiliser were intercepted by the Bolgatanga Municipal Police Command on an articulated truck with foreign registration number 10 JP 0752 BF. A fireman, in whose house the fertiliser allegedly was kept and later was at large, has been transferred from the Bolgatanga to Sandema, walking free.
Lamenting the trend of smuggling of PFJ fertiliser in the region since 2017 in an interview with Word News, the Upper East Regional Director of Food and Agriculture, Francis Ennor, said the people involved in the July 2019 smuggling were standing trial in court but the witnesses had consistently failed to show up in court when needed. He described as worrying how the fertiliser meant for the benefit Ghanaian farmer was going waste.
Mr Ennor added that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture had mapped out plans to curb the fertiliser smuggling menace in the region.
“So, we have placed some restrictions on six districts namely Bawku West, Bawku Municipality, Kassena-Nankana West, Pusiga, Tempane and Garu. These are the border districts, prone to smuggling of fertiliser in the region. The reason why we are doing this is for us as a ministry to monitor each distributors or retailers to know the exact number of bags of fertiliser received and how distribution is done as well as the main beneficiaries,”
The Upper East Regional Police Commander, DCOP Osei Ampofo-Duku, told Word News: “I don’t know because if it’s in court, the court will handle it. I normally don’t follow up such issues, unless you find out from the court officer. Once we get the person arrested and put him or her before court, that is the end of my responsibility,” stated the Regional Commander.
A focal person for peasant farmers in the region, Rev. John Akaribo, described the situation as very alarming and very worrying “because those smuggling the Planting for Food and Jobs fertilizer in commercial quantities are the rich robbing the poor farmers”.
“At times, most people blame the increasing spate of fertilizer smuggling in the Upper East Region on those who can’t even afford to buy five bags of the subsidised fertilizer. The court could have ordered that the decaying fertilizer should be released to benefit the poor farmer instead of allowing it to waste off,” he added.
By Gaspard Ayuureneeya