Accra Compost leads campaign for organic fertilizer subsidy

Managing Director of the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP) is leading a campaign to get government to subsidise organic fertilizer production in Ghana.

Dr Richard Amponsah says apart from the ecological benefits of using organic compost in agriculture production, the sector also holds tremendous economic benefits for the country.

He also reveals using organic fertilizer for farming was cheaper than using inorganic ones, indicating that a 50kg bag of inorganic fertilizer, for instance, costs about GH¢120 but it is subsidized the price falls to GH¢100. However, a 50kg of un-subsidized organic fertiliser costs only GH¢25 on the market.

Dr Ampansah revealed these at a stakeholder consultative forum for compost organic fertilizer producers in Ghana on Monday.

The forum was organized by ACARP in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture to discuss ways of improving and standardizing organic composts and also deliberate on how to form an a national association.

The ACARP Managing Director believes an association of organic compost producers would present a common force in the organic fertilizer production sector in order to push more effectively for a government subsidy.

Director of Crop Service at the Agric Ministry, Emmanuel Asante-Krobea, lauded the ACARP campaign for subsidy and said the Ministry was willing to engage with organic compost producers.

He revealed the Ministry's aim is to attain sustainable agriculture production through the use of organic fertiliser, adding he was hopeful a regulated organic compost fertilizer industry would facilitate that aim.

Also present at the forum was the Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, H.E Amir Mehl, who lauded the Agric Ministry and ACARP for initiating the dialogue and working to improve organic fertilizer production in Ghana.

He assured that Israeli expertise in organic fertilizer production would always be available to Ghana.