Farmers asked to be interesting in banking to ease access to finance

Ghanaian farmers have been enjoined to imbibe the habit of saving with the banks to ease their access to credit and other financial support services.

Farmers often complain financial service providers are not interested in financing agricultural projects.

But Chief Executive Officer of Odotobri Rural Bank, Siaka Baba Ahmed tells Luv Biz some farmers put themselves at disadvantage because they fail to have accounts with the banks.

“We have a lot of program roll out for farmers depending on the type of crops that they grow and the kind of business that they do with the bank,” he said.

According to him, “most of the farmers don’t even have healthy accounts; some will keep their money in the house; even in the sense of cocoa, some of them don’t want to take Akuafo Cheques, they prefer other agencies, take the money and keep it in the house. So when you have your money in the house I don’t think the bank can help you”.

As Ghana celebrates Farmers’ Day on Friday, Odotobri Bank has presented farm inputs valued at Gh₵6,400 to eight district and municipal assemblies in Ashanti region.

Mr. Ahmed says the gesture is part of the bank’s corporate social responsibility to increase the fortunes of farmers.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh