Several Bags of Harvested Rice Left To Rot
…Over No Buyers, As Farmers In Builsa South Cry For Help
Rice farmers in the Builsa South District in the Upper East Region are in desperate need for buyers, as several bags of harvested local rice are being left to rot away on the farm.
The situation, The Anchor gathered, has left major rice farmers in the area, including the chief of Gbdembilisa, the owner of Gbdembilisa Valley, frustrated over the development, as they count their losses, amid frantic efforts to find off-takers.
Those who could not stand watching the rice being wasted are forced to sell them at extremely cheaper prices on credit, while others are said to be dashing it out, despite the energy and resources sunk into the cultivation.
Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa South, who sounded the alarm on the predicament of the farmers, disclosed that the chief and other rice farmers in the area informed him that they had an agreement with a company called Farmerline to buy their rice, after harvesting.
The MP, in a statement, revealed that Farmerline, as part of the agreement with the rice farmers, supplied them with branded sacks and requested that they “produce and supply specific quantities of rice with a prescribed moisture content of 15-19% (with 2% impurity level) at an agreed price between GH₵3.60- GH₵3.80 per kilogram depending on the moisture content level.”
Unfortunately, Dr. Apaak said, Farmerline has since failed to take delivery of the rice, in spite of the company’s arrangement with the farmers.
According to the MP, as a representative of the people, he has made many attempts, since Thursday, November 30, when the matter was brought to his attention by the farmers, to contact the representatives of Farmerline, but to no avail.
He disclosed that, the phone numbers of the marketing manager, sales manager and the company’s representative in the northern sector, either do not go through or no one picks, whenever he makes the calls.
No Cash
The lawmaker said, his further checks have however revealed that the company, whose head office is located at Cantonments in Accra, is failing to meet its obligations due to financial challenges it is allegedly facing.
He lamented that the rice farmers have heavily invested so much in the rice project by clearing the land, ploughing, seed, labour, weedicides, pesticides and fertilizer, among others, thus leading to a bumper harvest.
He noted that, one can only imagine how the farmers feel, watching their investment go to waste because a company they believe will buy the rice is failing to do so.
Search for buyers
According to him, the affected farmers are looking for alternative buyers to no avail.
He revealed that, his checks suggested that, other rice buyers, including market women from Kumasi who travel to these farms to buy and resell the rice, as well as buying and milling companies, have either bought enough, or no longer have funds and or space for additional rice.
Dr. Apaak said, the situation has serious implications for Ghana’s food security as a nation now and in the near future.
The development, he bemoaned will discourage the farmers from investing more to increase their acreage in the next farming season, while others who may not recover from this loss will not farm again.
He called on companies that have interest in the local rice industry to come to the aid of the distraught rice farmers, as he appealed to government to take immediate steps to salvage the situation to prevent the rice from going wasted.
“I hereby use this opportunity to call on companies interested in the rice industry to consider buying the rice going waste in Builsa South. I also urge government to consider an immediate intervention as part of the policy of import substitution” he said, adding, “If we are serious about limiting the importation of items, including rice, we must not let the rice farmers in Builsa South down.”
No Agreement
Meanwhile, the management of Farmerline has refuted the allegations, insisting that the company had no agreement with the farmers, contrary to the MP’s narrations.
The Country Manager for Farmerline, Worlali Senyo, in an update sighted by The Anchor, said,“Farmerline reached out to the rice farmers in September when they had already planted, and their rice was at the point of harvest, and they were looking for buyers.”
Mr.Senyo added that “Farmerline has already purchased over 25,000 bags of rice paddy from farmers in Builsa South and its environs this harvest season alone. In addition, we are helping with mechanization and warehousing.”
Below Is Published, Farmerline’s Summary Of Key Facts Of The Issue:
- Rice farmers in Ghana generally have difficulties finding buyers for rice. This has been a known problem for years.
- Rice planted in May-July is harvested in Aug-Oct for the northern parts of Ghana, and key issues apart from market access are mechanization, storage, and transportation problems.
- Farmerline reached out to the rice farmers in September when they had already planted, and their rice was at the point of harvest, and they were looking for buyers.
- At Farmerline, our mission is to help farmers everywhere make more profit, and our commitment to this mission has never wavered. As part of this mission, we decided to also help as much as we could and find off-takers or buyers.
- Farmerline has not breached any contractual obligations to farmers. We do not have any contract with the farmers to purchase rice. We are only helping.
- Farmerline has already purchased over 25,000 bags of rice paddy from farmers in the Builsa South and its environs this harvest season alone. In addition, we are helping with mechanization and warehousing.
- Farmerline will continue to buy rice paddy that meets our quality specifications from farmers to fulfill contractual obligations with our off-takers/ buyers.
- We remain committed to our mission to help farmers everywhere make more profit for themselves. We are still engaging farmers and sourcing rice paddy in the Builsa South and its environs. We continue to explore all possible avenues to make sure our commitment to farmers is realized.
Source: Anchorghana.com
