A senior soil scientist has raised fresh concerns over Ghana’s fertiliser importation practices, warning that many of the products entering the country may not be suited to local soil conditions and could be contributing to land degradation.

The Director of the Soil Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (Ghana) (CSIR), Dr Collins Tay, argued that a significant proportion of imported fertilisers are failing to serve their intended purpose of enhancing soil fertility for sustainable agriculture.

Speaking on JoyBusiness’ Agric Business Month on the Super Morning Show on Joy FM on Wednesday, June 10, he said fertiliser decisions are often taken without sufficient technical input from soil experts.

"The fertilisers that are imported into the country are not serving the optimal purpose because, for instance, when you go to typical soil that doesn't need nitrogen but has phosphorus but you go and add all the NPK, what that means is that you have added too much nitrogen to that type of soil and the rest will have to find its way into the ecosystems," he said.

Dr Tay stressed that a more prudent approach would involve closer collaboration with specialist institutions such as his office to assess and guide fertiliser importation and application.

"That is why we at soil research are saying that as a government or as a nation, we would have to do things very right, and we can only do so if we approach experts for them to get involved right from the onset and for us to see how best we can put our technical knowledge together and help government and as well as the general public to do modern agricultural practices," he noted.

He warned that the current gap in expert consultation risks undermining soil health, adding that some fertiliser products may ultimately be doing more harm than good to Ghana’s agricultural soils.