Agriculture has long been termed as the backbone of our nation for many years yet the farmers who are the drivers of sector are suffering in the hands of middlemen famously known as cartels.
It is a phrase we hear often in speeches from our politicians, in our classroom from basic education to the lecture halls and on various agricultural shows in our radios, televisions, podcasts and feature articles. When we dig deeper on this phrase the reality we are met with paints a much different grimmer picture.
The hardworking farmers of our nation are not reaping the fruits of their labor yet they work tirelessly in scorching sun, rains and all kind of bad weather conditions. Instead, they are stuck in a cycle of exploitation with middlemen standing between them and the fair returns they deserve while our government have turned deaf ears on their plies.
Those in authority address the issue when doing a PR or seeking for votes from the vulnerable farmers, that is their perfect time to shower promises of all sorts competing on who understand the problems the most exploiting the vulnerability of the farmers who are in dire need of change in exchange for their votes. The unfulfilled promises leave the farmer devastated with no other option but to sell to the middle men at a loss some even recently ditching farming.
Middlemen have profited by purchasing farm produce at shockingly low prices, leaving farmers with just a fraction of what their produce are truly worth. The result is farmers struggle to cover their basic expenses and maintaining of farm inputs required to sustain farming such as agrochemicals let alone enjoying the fruits of their hard work.
The sad truth is that many farmers are caught in this chain since they have nowhere to turn to. Many parts of our counties lack access to competitive markets where they can sell their goods at a fair price since the only option available to them are the middlemen.
The middlemen have established networks, market dominance and their capacity to add value thus continue to hold all the cards in the markets sometimes at government watch. Farmers are left with little choice but to accept whatever small amount they are offered even if it seems as a throwaway price or extreme loss since they are neither regulators of prices, if they are let’s say they are asleep on their job nor alternatives in the market yet farmers are in dire need the money.
The government must step in to break the cycle of exploitation since the farmer have suffered for too long. It is not enough to just offer lip service to the importance of agriculture in our economy yet the farmers are over exploited. Concrete actions are needed to aid the farmers in getting fair prices they deserve and improve their living conditions.
Have you ever asked yourself why most youths are disengaged with farming? Maybe because they see the challenges their parents who are farmers are experiencing commensurate to their pay. How will one convince a young person to get into agriculture yet they cannot get resources to add value to their produce despite having the skills and urge.
One of the most effective ways to reduce middlemen from exploiting farmers is by creating value addition centers near farming communities. These centers would allow farmers to process their produce locally, adding value to their crops before they are sold and even providing ready market cutting cost of transportation reducing the influence of the cartels. The centers would not only provide higher profits for farmers but also create much-needed jobs for the increasing rate of unemployment.
The ripple effects of value addition centers would be immense from boosting food security, improving livelihoods to reducing poverty thus freeing farmers from the chains of middlemen exploitation that has been there for too long.
The government has responsibility to make value addition centers a reality and end farmers suffering in the hands of middle persons. While those in private sector can play a role, it is the government’s duty to ensure that farmers have the resources, infrastructure, support and goodwill they need.
Through investment in value addition centers, building roads to connect farmers to larger markets, providing training in modern farming techniques, implementation of available policies in protecting the farmers’ government can empower them to stand on their own feet and take control of their economic destiny.
Looking forward for a country where farmers are compensated according to their work and not exploited by middlemen in expense of ready market, a nation that does not favor few in exploiting the many, a nation where agriculture is truly the backbone of our economy.
