Member of Parliament (MP) for Ejura-Sekyedumase constituency in the Ashanti Region, Mr Muhammad Bawah Braimah, has called on government to place an immediate ban on the use of ‘Size 5 or Makola sack’ for the purchases of maize and other cereals in the country.
According to him, maize and other cereal dealers and their agents have resorted to the use of size 5 sacks which has no standard limit of measure to purchase maize and other cereals produce from farmers. This, according to the MP, was prone to exploitation.
He maintained that the Size 5 or Makola sack of maize may weigh between 135-150kg for a price of 100kg bag (size 4) supposedly prescribed by ministry of food and agriculture and other agencies depending on the dealer or agent who buys from the farmer, thus robbing the farmer about 50kg of his/her produce.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Today, the Ejura-Sekyedumase lawmaker explained that production of maize and other cereals across the country were dependent on mechanisation and chemicals due to depletion of soil nutrients which has resulted in high cost of production.
“I just do not understand why all the processes in the cereal production, especially maize, have standardised measure. For instance, ploughing, planting, spraying and even harvesting is done on acre basis. Chemicals are sold in litres and weight basis and yet selling of the produce is not done on standardised basis thus leaving the farmer at the mercy of dealers,” he lamented.
According to him, successive governments have introduced policies and programmes, the latest being the Planting for Food and Jobs, which are all aimed at boosting food production and ameliorating the plight of farmers through the provision of agricultural machinery, improved seeds, chemicals and fertilisers as well as modern technologies all aimed at increasing the income levels of farmers.
“But the major setback of all these interventions is that farmers have been exploited by traders over the years, especially maize farmers, and have been left poor. Because farmers cannot break even let alone make profit to enable them stay in business with the current marketing arrangement,” he added.
The MP, therefore, called on the ministries of food and agriculture and trade and their agencies to come up with standardised unit of measurement for the sale and marketing of farm produce as practiced in neighbouring Francophone countries in order to enhance sustainable food production and also to alleviate the plight of maize and other cereals production farmers.
Today in Parliament
…with Franklin Asare-Donkoh
