Yam and cassava farmers across the Oti and Northern Regions are increasingly voicing frustration over what they describe as a worrying decline in farmgate prices for their produce. While government supporters continue to celebrate the drop in fuel prices and the relative stability of the cedi, many farmers say the reality on the ground tells a very different story.
For the ordinary farmer, the real measure of economic improvement is not simply the price of fuel or the dollar, but the value of their produce compared to their daily costs of living and production. And by that measure, many farmers insist that their livelihoods are worsening.
Under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, a litre of fuel sold for about GH₵20 while a bowl of gari sold around GH₵30. In simple terms, when a farmer sold a bowl of gari and used GH₵20 to buy fuel, the farmer still had GH₵10 remaining. That balance could go a long way in purchasing other basic necessities.
Today, under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, fuel may have dropped to around GH₵10, but the price of gari has also sharply declined to about GH₵15. This means that when a farmer sells a bowl of gari and buys fuel, only GH₵5 remains. In real terms, farmers say that GH₵5 today cannot purchase what GH₵10 could previously buy, effectively reducing their economic strength.
The situation is even more troubling when examining cassava production. Under the NPP administration, a bag of dry cassava could sell for about GH₵400. After spending roughly GH₵100 on transportation and related expenses at a time when fuel cost about GH₵20 per litre the farmer would still take home approximately GH₵300.
Today, however, the same bag of dry cassava reportedly sells for about GH₵100. Even though fuel prices have dropped to around GH₵10 per litre and transportation may cost about GH₵50, the farmer is left with only GH₵50 in profit. This represents a drastic reduction in income for farmers who depend entirely on the sale of such produce to sustain their families.
Yam farmers tell a similar story. Previously, the least a farmer could sell 100 pieces of yam ranged between GH₵1,500 and GH₵2,000 depending on size. Today, under the current economic conditions, the same quantity sells between GH₵700 and GH₵1,200. The combined effect of these price reductions, farmers say, is pushing them deeper into poverty.
Although some Agro-chemicals have seen slight price reductions, farmers argue that the benefits have been neutralized by the sharp rise in labor costs. For example, a laborer who previously charged about GH₵20 to weed a 12×12 plot of land now charges about GH₵50. This represents more than a threefold increase in labour costs.
In addition, farmers complain about rising utility costs, including electricity and water bills, which further strain their already shrinking incomes. As a result, the modest reductions in Agro-inputs are being outweighed by increased labour and operational costs.
The government came into office promising a “reset” that would improve the livelihoods of Ghanaians. Yet, according to many farmers, the reality today is far from that promise. They argue that while government officials celebrate falling fuel prices and a stabilizing dollar, these indicators mean little to farmers whose produce continues to fetch lower prices.
For the farmer who spends months cultivating cassava and yam, the real question remains simple; Can the proceeds from the harvest sustain a household? Increasingly, the answer appears to be no.
If the current trend continues, farmers warn that the very people the government promised to uplift may instead find themselves pushed deeper into hardship.
For many yam and cassava farmers across Oti and the Northern Regions, the so-called economic reset has not translated into relief. Instead, they say it has become a period marked by declining incomes, rising production costs, and growing uncertainty about the future of their livelihoods.
END
By Evans Manasseh/wontumionline.com