Farmers in the Wa West District have appealed to the government to support them with timely tractor services to help improve their farming activities.

The farmers who spoke to the GNA in separate interviews at some farming communities, indicated that getting a tractor to plough at the right time had been a serious challenge to them over the years.

The farming communities included; Ga, Gadi, Maaduteng and Chemuoteng communities in the Ga Electoral Area.

Mr Maalibunaa Saaka, the Unit Committee Chairman of the Ga electoral area, said farmers in the area had to rely on private tractor service providers from other regions that did not support smallholder farmers.

"If the government wants to support smallholder farmers here, it should make sure that tractors come on time. If we get at least three tractors they can serve the whole Ga Electoral Area.

"The tractors normally come from the southern sector. But they always want to plough at least five acres at a go, so if you have your one acre and call them they won't mind you", he explained.

Meanwhile, the Wa West District was benefiting from an agricultural mechanisation centre with tractors and threshers among others under the government's flagship programme of Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ).

"Governments are always paying lip-services to farmers. They are not in to support smallholder farmers. As I am sitting here I need a tractor to plough one acre, but I am not getting. My groundnut seeds are ready, but the time I will get the tractor it will be late", Mr Saaka said.

He said farmers in the area did not also get expert advice on the right seed variety to plant at a particular time, which was also negatively affecting their gains.

Mr Sopinetey Kombotey, the Chemuoteng Community Head, said smallholder farmers were unable to afford the high cost of ploughing services from private service providers, which ranged from Gh?120.00 to Gh?150.00 per acre, which adversely affected their farming activities and appealed to the government to provide them with subsidized mechanisation services.

The situation was not different at Maaduteng and Gadi communities where the farmers explained that they were old and could no longer rely on the hoe and cutlass method of farming to earn a decent living.

They therefore appealed to the government to make ploughing services available to smallholder farmers, particularly at the Ga Electoral Area, to complement the PFJ programme.