The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South Constituency Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, has called for a nationwide push to educate farmers on the importance of agricultural insurance, stressing that it is the surest way to protect them against the devastating impact of natural disasters and disease outbreaks.

Unpredictable climate patterns, bushfires, and disease outbreaks remain some of the biggest challenges confronting farmers in Ghana, leading to massive investment losses and reduced yields.

Speaking on Adom News, Dr. Agyemang, who is also an insurance expert, said although insurance companies operate agricultural pool policies, most farmers remain unaware of them, leaving their livelihoods vulnerable.

“Farmers continue to lose the bulk of their investments to floods, droughts, fire outbreaks, and disease simply because they are not aware these policies exist,” he explained.

He urged farmer associations including peasant, pig, cocoa, and fish farmers to embrace agricultural insurance schemes, describing them as a vital safety net in times of crisis.

The MP criticized government’s lack of interest in driving insurance education for farmers. According to him, if farmers had been adequately informed and subscribed to insurance, the severe drought in 2024, the bird flu epidemic, and the pig disease outbreak would not have forced the state to commit huge sums of money to relief efforts.

“If farmers knew and took covers for their farms, government wouldn’t have taken huge monies to support them, rather insurance would have done that,” he emphasized.

Dr. Agyemang also underscored the need for government to set the tone by prioritizing cocoa farm insurance, given the crop’s longstanding role as the backbone of Ghana’s economy. “Over the years cocoa has been the biggest backbone to Ghana’s economy, but sadly government has not taken interest in leading the campaign to insure all cocoa farms under the agricultural insurance pool,” he lamented.

He warned of dire consequences if farmers, especially those in cocoa-growing regions, are not sensitized to insure their farms. Citing historical examples, he noted that fire disasters like those witnessed four decades ago could wreak similar havoc if preventive measures are not taken.

Dr. Agyemang concluded by urging government to champion the cause: “Education on insuring farms must be effective from now. Government must lead the charge by encouraging farmers to take insurance covers to safeguard their farms.”