From Isaac Akwetey-Okunor
Farmers in the Lower Manya Korbo Municipality of the region have added their voices to the inconsistent power outages, known in the local jargon as “dum-so dum-so”, following their inability to pay back monies taken from the various banks.
According to them, getting soft credit from banks in Ghana in recent times has become a nightmare for famers, not only those in Lower Manya Krobo Municipality, but across the country, as their inability to pay back the monies given them, which is being attributed to the dum-so dum-so, would deepen their plight.
Speaking to the file, the leader of the farmers, Mr. Abraham Sackey, urged the government to immediately summon experts in the energy sector in an effort to bring a practicable solution to the problem. Notwithstanding the dum-so dum-so problem, which, to a large extent, has become a national economic threat, they also charged present and previous governments of giving funds meant for farmers to party followers.
He explained that loans meant for serious farmers were given to party footsoldiers and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), who could not even boast of a piece of farm land.
The retired police officer continued: “I pray that one day, this country would get people who would be faithful and sincere to the agriculture sector as agriculture ministers, since most of the ministers appointed did not have the sector at heart”.
The 2003 Best Maize Producer in both Upper and Lower Manya Krobo area, and can boast of 68 hectares of mango farm, could not develop his 67 hectares of virgin land because of the lack of money.