Ghana Russia Fertilizer WEB
Metadata
- Ghana Russia Fertilizer WEB
- May 9, 2022
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script English USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: GHANA RUSSIA FERTILIZER (TV) HEADLINE: Ghanaian Farmers Look for Organic Alternatives as Russian Fertilizer Costs Skyrocket TEASER: To cope with the shortage, Ghanaian authorities are urging farmers to use locally produced chicken droppings and compost PUBLISHED AT: Monday, 05/09/2022 at 1PM BYLINE: Senanu Tord DATELINE: ABUKROM, GHANA VIDEOGRAPHER: Senanu Tord VIDEO EDITOR: PRODUCER: SCRIPT EDITORS: Schearf, Salem Solomon VIDEO SOURCE(S): VOA Original PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO X TRT: 2:40 VID APPROVED BY: MAS TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES: There is an accompanying radio piece.)) ((INTRO)) [[Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised food production concerns in countries that depend on the region’s exports of fertilizers, such as Ghana. To cope with the shortage, Ghanaian authorities are urging farmers to use locally produced chicken droppings and compost instead as fertilizer. For VOA, Senanu Tord reports from Abukrom, Ghana.]] ((NARRATOR)) Cocoa farmer Grace Ayeh says her plants have started fruiting and need fertilizer to ensure their growth. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a shortage and raised last year’s prices up to five times higher. ((Grace Ayeh, Farmer (Twi, 22 secs)) “The rains have started, and it is the right time to apply fertilizers. Time is running out on us, and we still don’t have access to fertilizers from the government or even from the market. We have heard that in the past, some farmers used chicken droppings as fertilizers, and they got good yields. So we’ve decided to give it a try.” ((NARRATOR)) Russia is one of the world’s top exporters of fertilizers and inputs and the main supplier to Ghana, the world’s second biggest exporter of cocoa. Record sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are making imports virtually impossible. The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) says they expect fertilizer prices to keep going up. ((Fiifi Boafo, Ghana Cocoa Board Spokesperson (in English)) “So, what COCOBOD is doing presently is introducing the farmers to poultry manure as a substitute to the fertilizer we procure on the market. And it is our belief that this will be able to obliterate the problem, or the challenge, the availability and the price issue will have on our industry.” ((NARRATOR)) The Board says chicken droppings are high in nutrients and better for nature. ((Fiifi Boafo, Ghana Cocoa Board Spokesperson (in English, 16 secs)) “It is scientifically proven that poultry manure is a good substitute for fertilizers, and this is organic. So, if you have the substitute, why wait until you are hit the hardest.” ((NARRATOR)) Ghana’s Ministry of Agriculture says they are also easing the fertilizer shortage by building compost sites across the country. ((Yaw Frimpong Addo, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, (in English, 21 secs)) “Everywhere there is this compost site. Once that one comes on stream and that is basically organic fertilizer. So, we are going to see how we can combine just [a] small [amount] of the inorganic fertilizer with the organic and then we are good to go. That is the way to go for us as a country.” ((NARRATOR)) The U.N. says Russia’s war on Ukraine, a top global supplier of wheat, is pushing up prices and threatening food security. The International Monetary Fund says poor countries in Sub-Saharan Africa still recovering from the COVID pandemic are being hit hardest. But Ghana’s Ministry of Agriculture is confident a shift to organic fertilizers can help prevent a food crisis and might be environmentally friendly in the long run. ((Senanu Tord, for VOA News, Abukrom, Ghana.))
- Transcript/Script USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: GHANA RUSSIA FERTILIZER (TV) HEADLINE: Ghanaian Farmers Look for Organic Alternatives as Russian Fertilizer Costs Skyrocket TEASER: To cope with the shortage, Ghanaian authorities are urging farmers to use locally produced chicken droppings and compost PUBLISHED AT: Monday, 05/09/2022 at 1PM BYLINE: Senanu Tord DATELINE: ABUKROM, GHANA VIDEOGRAPHER: Senanu Tord VIDEO EDITOR: PRODUCER: SCRIPT EDITORS: Schearf, Salem Solomon VIDEO SOURCE(S): VOA Original PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO X TRT: 2:40 VID APPROVED BY: MAS TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES: There is an accompanying radio piece.)) ((INTRO)) [[Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised food production concerns in countries that depend on the region’s exports of fertilizers, such as Ghana. To cope with the shortage, Ghanaian authorities are urging farmers to use locally produced chicken droppings and compost instead as fertilizer. For VOA, Senanu Tord reports from Abukrom, Ghana.]] ((NARRATOR)) Cocoa farmer Grace Ayeh says her plants have started fruiting and need fertilizer to ensure their growth. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a shortage and raised last year’s prices up to five times higher. ((Grace Ayeh, Farmer (Twi, 22 secs)) “The rains have started, and it is the right time to apply fertilizers. Time is running out on us, and we still don’t have access to fertilizers from the government or even from the market. We have heard that in the past, some farmers used chicken droppings as fertilizers, and they got good yields. So we’ve decided to give it a try.” ((NARRATOR)) Russia is one of the world’s top exporters of fertilizers and inputs and the main supplier to Ghana, the world’s second biggest exporter of cocoa. Record sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are making imports virtually impossible. The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) says they expect fertilizer prices to keep going up. ((Fiifi Boafo, Ghana Cocoa Board Spokesperson (in English)) “So, what COCOBOD is doing presently is introducing the farmers to poultry manure as a substitute to the fertilizer we procure on the market. And it is our belief that this will be able to obliterate the problem, or the challenge, the availability and the price issue will have on our industry.” ((NARRATOR)) The Board says chicken droppings are high in nutrients and better for nature. ((Fiifi Boafo, Ghana Cocoa Board Spokesperson (in English, 16 secs)) “It is scientifically proven that poultry manure is a good substitute for fertilizers, and this is organic. So, if you have the substitute, why wait until you are hit the hardest.” ((NARRATOR)) Ghana’s Ministry of Agriculture says they are also easing the fertilizer shortage by building compost sites across the country. ((Yaw Frimpong Addo, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, (in English, 21 secs)) “Everywhere there is this compost site. Once that one comes on stream and that is basically organic fertilizer. So, we are going to see how we can combine just [a] small [amount] of the inorganic fertilizer with the organic and then we are good to go. That is the way to go for us as a country.” ((NARRATOR)) The U.N. says Russia’s war on Ukraine, a top global supplier of wheat, is pushing up prices and threatening food security. The International Monetary Fund says poor countries in Sub-Saharan Africa still recovering from the COVID pandemic are being hit hardest. But Ghana’s Ministry of Agriculture is confident a shift to organic fertilizers can help prevent a food crisis and might be environmentally friendly in the long run. ((Senanu Tord, for VOA News, Abukrom, Ghana.))
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date May 9, 2022 14:08 EDT
- Byline Senanu Tord
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America