Upper West Best Farmer Expresses Hope for 2025 Farming Season Despite Last Year’s Devastating Losses

Mr Nankpa Jibiliru, 2024 Upper West Regional Best Farmer and Managing Director of Augustine Farms

Mr Nankpa Jibiliru, the 2024 Upper West Regional Best Farmer and Managing Director of Augustine Farms has expressed optimism about the 2025 farming season despite the lingering economic and psychological scars left by last year’s devastating drought.

In an interview with Info Radio, Mr Jibiliru shared his anticipation for a productive season, fueled by recent weather forecasts predicting improved rainfall patterns compared to 2024.

“We are told that this year’s rains are going to be better than last year’s rains. Though there’ll be drought, it’ll be limited and won’t be as pronounced,” he said.

He described last years’ experience as nothing short of disastrous, drawing comparisons to the infamous 1983 drought.

“If there’s any other word I can use to describe last year more than the word ‘disaster,’ I would have used it,” he lamented. “It was a tsunami, but all the same, we still survived.”

According to Mr Jibiliru, the 2024 season saw massive losses among farmers across the region, including him. “We lost over one million Ghana cedis. And I’m not the only one—other farmers equally lost,” he revealed.

These losses have severely impacted farmers' capacity to invest in the 2025 season. Many are now forced to sell limited maize stocks from the previous season to fund new inputs.

“When you don’t have the maize, where do you sell? The number of acres we intend to farm is huge. It means we equally need huge capital,” he explained.

One major challenge highlighted by Mr Jibiliru is the disappearance of what he referred to as “green loans”—informal, in-kind loans where farmers borrow money against expected maize harvests. “Now there’s no more turning to green loans because they have not even planted. Where is the green?” he asked.

He warned that the economic shock from last year’s drought will have long-lasting consequences, estimating that it could take some farmers up to six to eight years to recover fully. “Some people went mad, some lost their lives because they took loans and couldn’t recover anything,” he said. “A friend of mine cultivated 75 acres and didn’t pick a single grain.”

Despite these setbacks, Mr Jibiliru remains hopeful. “We are only anticipating that it will get better by His grace,” he said, reinforcing his faith in improved weather conditions and a more successful harvest.