‘We Are Suffering’: Northern farmers protest as unsold grains rot in warehouses

Grain farmers in the Northern Region have staged a peaceful protest to draw the government’s attention to the lack of a ready market for their produce.

The farmers, who mainly cultivate maize, rice, and sorghum, say large quantities of last year’s harvest remain unsold and are locked up in warehouses due to the absence of buyers. Many of them fear financial collapse as they struggle to repay debts incurred during the previous farming season.

“We are suffering. Our grains are locked up, and yet we have to prepare our lands for the next season. Without money from sales, how do we buy fertilizer or pay our workers?” Abdulai Fuseini, a maize farmer from Savelugu.

The farmers carried placards with inscriptions such as “Save the Local Farmer” and “Stop the Smuggling, Buy Local Grains.”

The National Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association, Sayibu Braimah, accused smugglers of worsening the situation by flooding the market with cheap, substandard cereals brought in through unapproved routes.

“These smugglers do not pay a pesewa in tax, and yet they are collapsing local businesses,” he said. “We have written several petitions to the authorities, but nothing has been done. If the government fails to act, we will have no choice but to stage a nationwide demonstration.”

Receiving the farmers’ petition, the Northern Regional Minister, Ali Adolf John, assured them that their concerns were being taken seriously. He said President John Dramani Mahama has been briefed on the matter, and discussions are underway with the Minister of Agriculture to find lasting solutions.

“The government will not sit aloof while our hard-working farmers suffer,” he said. “We are committed to finding lasting remedies to the market challenges facing our grain producers.”

By: Baba Kamil Mohammed, Northern Region.

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