There is intense anxiety amongst rice farmers in the Northern Region as they are plagued by a myriad of problems. According to the farmers, not only is a government offered price for their last year’s produce inadequate, but the lack of tractors to plough the farms is an even more debilitating headache, placing their business in a rather precarious situation. The government has been touting its credentials in the area of agriculture and the successes chalked up in increasing food production and job creation. But the farmers say a dark cloud of uncertainty, anxiety, fear and frustration hang over them this season as they have watched their hope of making sustainable earnings from their sweat dashed. Speaking in the Northern Regional capital, Tamale, some of the rice farmers told journalists that this year’s farming season did not hold good prospects. Asked why, they said a government programme to buy back their produce posed serious challenges because the amount offered by the government was very low. Mr Zakaria Abubakari, a farmer said while a bag of paddy rice sold at about GH¢40 this time last year, the government is currently buying the commodity at GH¢30 per bag. In the open market the price is even lower. He said while the government’s action was quite commendable, it has to be said that that fell short of the expected revenue of farmers and will not only reduce their quality of life, but also negatively affect the amount of farming he and his colleagues are able to do this season. “Farmers don’t have money in their possession, it is their goods that they sell to raise money to farm, so if the prices are not good, then it affects them,” he said. A fortnight ago there was panic in Tamale when the government intervention to purchase rice stocks from the farmers was suspended because, according to the farmers, the government said it had run out of space to keep the rice. One farmer told Myjoyonline.com that he had 200 bags of rice but could not sell and was afraid that if the government stopped buying the items he would suffer colossal losses. Violently flinging the corrugated door of his silo open to show his 67 bags of unsold rice, another small holder farmer, Adam Issah, said if farmers are encouraged to farm and the produce is allowed to waste away, there certainly cannot be any incentive for him and his colleagues to continue to labour in the fields. He said he was getting frustrated because given the amount of money and effort he sunk into the farm last year, he didn’t think it economically prudent to sell his rice at the GH¢30 that the government was offering. Mr Adam said his frustrations were compounded by the fact that while he couldn’t sell last season’s yield, getting a tractor to plough his field this year was a problem.