Operational details of the 2008 fertilizer subsidy in Ghana: Preliminary report

In July 2008, the government of Ghana instituted a country-wide subsidy on 50Kg bags of four types of fertilizer in an effort to mitigate the effect of rising energy and food prices. Farmers received the subsidy in the form of fertilizer- and region-specific vouchers distributed by agricultural exte...

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Autor principal: Banful, Afua Branoah
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2009
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161927
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author Banful, Afua Branoah
author_browse Banful, Afua Branoah
author_facet Banful, Afua Branoah
author_sort Banful, Afua Branoah
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description In July 2008, the government of Ghana instituted a country-wide subsidy on 50Kg bags of four types of fertilizer in an effort to mitigate the effect of rising energy and food prices. Farmers received the subsidy in the form of fertilizer- and region-specific vouchers distributed by agricultural extension agents. This descriptive report details the operational design of the subsidy program and offers preliminary observations of its implementation. The fertilizer subsidy was a unique example of a public-private partnership in which thegovernment consulted heavily with fertilizer importers in the design stage and relied exclusively on the existing private distribution system to deliver fertilizer to farmers. While this structure offers clear benefits, initial observations suggest scope for improvement in both the system design and implementation. Poor timing, shortage of fertilizer and a small network of fertilizer retailers participating in the program prevented fertilizer use from increasing as much as was possible within the program budget and may have disadvantaged smaller retailers. Amidst such constraints, less than 50 percent of the vouchers country-wide had been redeemed by the end of the planting seasons.
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spelling CGSpace1619272025-11-06T05:36:50Z Operational details of the 2008 fertilizer subsidy in Ghana: Preliminary report Banful, Afua Branoah food prices fertilizers public-private partnerships subsidies In July 2008, the government of Ghana instituted a country-wide subsidy on 50Kg bags of four types of fertilizer in an effort to mitigate the effect of rising energy and food prices. Farmers received the subsidy in the form of fertilizer- and region-specific vouchers distributed by agricultural extension agents. This descriptive report details the operational design of the subsidy program and offers preliminary observations of its implementation. The fertilizer subsidy was a unique example of a public-private partnership in which thegovernment consulted heavily with fertilizer importers in the design stage and relied exclusively on the existing private distribution system to deliver fertilizer to farmers. While this structure offers clear benefits, initial observations suggest scope for improvement in both the system design and implementation. Poor timing, shortage of fertilizer and a small network of fertilizer retailers participating in the program prevented fertilizer use from increasing as much as was possible within the program budget and may have disadvantaged smaller retailers. Amidst such constraints, less than 50 percent of the vouchers country-wide had been redeemed by the end of the planting seasons. 2009 2024-11-21T09:59:32Z 2024-11-21T09:59:32Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161927 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Banful, Afua Branoah. 2009. Operational details of the 2008 fertilizer subsidy in Ghana. GSSP Working Paper 18. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161927
spellingShingle food prices
fertilizers
public-private partnerships
subsidies
Banful, Afua Branoah
Operational details of the 2008 fertilizer subsidy in Ghana: Preliminary report
title Operational details of the 2008 fertilizer subsidy in Ghana: Preliminary report
title_full Operational details of the 2008 fertilizer subsidy in Ghana: Preliminary report
title_fullStr Operational details of the 2008 fertilizer subsidy in Ghana: Preliminary report
title_full_unstemmed Operational details of the 2008 fertilizer subsidy in Ghana: Preliminary report
title_short Operational details of the 2008 fertilizer subsidy in Ghana: Preliminary report
title_sort operational details of the 2008 fertilizer subsidy in ghana preliminary report
topic food prices
fertilizers
public-private partnerships
subsidies
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161927
work_keys_str_mv AT banfulafuabranoah operationaldetailsofthe2008fertilizersubsidyinghanapreliminaryreport