Agro
Master, a fast growing agribusiness firm has launched a fertiliser and input credit
scheme to support small scale farmers across the country.
The scheme, which has been rolled out in the
Eastern Region after a successful pilot, is to contribute to the national quest
to boost agric production in the country.
It is to help small holder farmers to overcome
the critical challenge of farm finance that adversely affects production and
incomes.
As part of the scheme, farmers who enroll are
offered fertiliser and agro chemicals, to be paid later either before or after
harvest, depending on the type of crop and repayment arrangement.
Speaking at the launching ceremony at Nsawam in
the Eastern Region on Saturday, Mr Edmund Mingle, Director of Agro Master
explained that the scheme has been designed to provide effective access to farm
inputs and flexible payment terms.
He said the scheme was introduced on the basis
of a research and pilot which showed that in spite of the government’s fertiliser
subsidy programme, many small scale farmers lacked financial capacity to
purchase the inputs on time and in the right quantity.
“To be able to harvest a good yield, fertiliser
and other chemicals have to be applied on schedule, in the right quantity and
at the right place,” he said.
As a support system, he said his outfit also
offers farm advisory services to the beneficiary farmers, and collaborates with
the agric extension offices to educate the farmers on best farming practices.
The scheme, he said, would be extended to the
Central Region in the next farming season, after its full rollout in the
Eastern Region.
Mr Mingle urged the farmers to take advantage of
the scheme to expand their farm production to boost the rural economy and
create more jobs for the youth.