COTTON FARMERS PETITION GOVERNMENT (PAGE 47)

STORY: Chris Nunoo, Wa

Cotton farmers in the three northern regions of the country have petitioned the government to act quickly to save the cotton industry from collapsing.
In a petition presented to the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hickah Benson, the farmers, who described cotton as the ‘white gold’ of northern Ghana, catalogued a number of factors hindering the production of cotton.
The petition, which is to be forwarded to President Kufuor, stated that given the required attention, cotton would become a viable cash crop for the country.
Signed by Mr Mohammed Adam Nashiru, the National Secretary of the Ghana Cotton Farmers Association, the petition raised the issues of the high cost of production and the unfair world trade, which favours countries of the developed world.
The farmers appealed to the government to support them this season by offering free mass spraying of cotton.
The farmers also stressed the need for the government to encourage more credit schemes, and the various district and municipal assemblies to assist them with credit facilities.
The group further appealed for subsidies on farm inputs, pointing out that cotton cultivation was gradually becoming unattractive and as such some of the farmers were considering cultivating other crops.
Mr Benson said the government was aware of the potential of cotton.
That, he said, accounted for the inclusion of cotton the fact cultivation in the special initiatives of the President.
Mr Hickah Benson acknowledged that there were problems with the cotton industry but said the government would try to address the concerns of the farmers.
The regional minister commended the farmers for the peaceful means they had adopted to channel their concerns.