The Upper West Regional Minister Dr Hafiz Bin
Salih has visited Leo in the Province of Sissili in Burkina Faso to seek
collaboration to combat fertilizer smuggling from Ghana to Burkina Faso.
He requested that the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJs)
fertilizer that would be seized by Burkinabe authorities should be shared among
their local farmers free of charge.
The call for collaboration to deal with fertiliser smuggling
in neighbouring countries was on the back of recent reports of wanton
smuggling, misappropriation and infractions regarding distribution of
fertiliser to Ghanaian farmers.
The growing menace has forced Ghanaian authorities to suspend
the distribution and haulage of fertilizers to local farmers in nine districts
in northern Ghana including Sissala East Municipality and Sissala West District.
Despite several concerns raised over the temporal ban, the
government has justified that it was to protect farmers and ensure the success
of the PFJs programme.
Dr Bin-Salih said, “We are here to interact with you but we
have a number of concerns, one is the fact that a lot of fertilizers from Ghana
are being smuggled into Burkina Faso and this is a worrying situation to the
government and the people of Ghana”.
“Our presence is to inform you so that we will collaborate
with your security to help us fight and stop it”. “We have pictures and reports
of the presence of the products being sold on the markets here [in Burkina
Faso] but these are not supposed to be sold”.
“Our Minister of Agriculture in Ghana has gotten in touch and
has made correspondence with his colleague Minister in Burkina Faso and
signalled that we are here to ensure that they are fully put into the picture
so, wherever, they find PFJ fertilizer in Burkina Faso, they should seize and
share them freely to their farmers as they are smuggled products”.
“We do in Ghana, when we seize smuggled products, we share
them and appeal to you to do so”.
A description of the branded fertilizer was shown to the
Burkinabe authorities.
The fertilizer has been branded in 25-kilogramme weight with
unique yellow colours and inscription of PFJ meaning ‘Planting for food and
jobs’
“This is my official visit to Leo and requested with their
kind permission to go round and visit some of the shops in the market and see
things for ourselves, but the request to visit the shops was turned down by the
Burkinabe officials citing the need to inform stakeholders before such
observation could be permitted,” Dr Bin-Salih said.
He added that the insurgence of terrorist activities in parts
of Burkina Faso required the two countries collaborated in the area of security.
Welcoming the Ghanaian delegation, the Secretary attached to
the High Commissioner of Leo Mr Kone Yaya said the Commissioner was away but
pledged to support and help the call for collaboration.
He said farmers in Burkina Faso equally enjoyed some subsidy
but smuggling was also a problem and appealed to the Ghanaian delegation to
allow the two trade and agriculture ministries to collaborate and have a joint
control programme.
The Customs Officer in Charge of Douane, Mr Traore T.
Cyprian, told the delegation that sometimes, the officers find the fertilizers
being brought into their country from Ghana.
“Sometimes they do see some of them but it is not on a
regular basis and when they see them, they seize them, they are then fined to
pay high taxes on them and we let them enter once they pay the fines,” he
added: “But, henceforth, we shall collaborate but it needs the attention of all
stakeholders”.
On the request by the Ghanaian delegation to visit the
market, he said, “All the directors including Director of Agriculture and
customs were not aware”.
He added that they would need to inform their top hierarchy
otherwise the traders might see their visit as “coming to control them,” and
requested that they reschedule the visit to another time.
The Ghanaian delegation was made up of the National Director
of Crops at the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Seth Osei Akoto, Mr Francis Ennor,
and Regional Director of Agriculture for Upper East, Mr Emmanuel Sasu Yeboah
Upper West Regional Director of Agriculture, Mr Iddi Musah Representative of
The Upper East Regional Minister.
The rest were COP Peter Ndekugri, the Deputy Upper West Regional
Police Commander; Mr Karim Nanyua, Sissala East Municipal Chief Executive; Mr
Mohammed Zakaria Bakor, District Chief Executive for Sissala West District.
The Burkinabe side included Mr Napon Akimou, Mr Voda
Alphonse, Mr Ibouldo Moctar, Mr Ziba Asseni Mr Oudragou Issif, Mr Traore T
Cyprian and Mr kone Yaya.
