The Chamber of Fertiliser Ghana says even though the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has assured that it will clear all debts owed the chamber, the timely release of the funds is important to prevent a collapse of their businesses.

According to the chamber, government owes its members ¢400 million, a situation that has created serious challenges for their operations.

Speaking to Joy Business, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, Prince Adipah, cautioned that further delays could adversely affect the supply of fertiliser in the near future.

“At the Ministry of Finance, I know a desk has been set up to purposely take care of the fertiliser issues. The most important thing is that we don’t want it to delay”, he stressed.

Mr. Adipah complained that the delay has already affected suppliers in the industry as most of them face serious challenges.

He disclosed that farmers in the country were supplied with the input under the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.

According to him, the price of fertiliser has already witnessed significant jump on the market due to a shortage.

“The prices have more than doubled due to Russia-Ukraine war and this is already affecting the sector”, he said.

Mr. Adipah warned that government's Planting for Food and Jobs Programme could suffer a setback in the future if pragmatic steps are not put in place to pay fertiliser suppliers to keep the programme ongoing.