The Minority in Parliament has disputed the government’s claim of excess food in the country resulting from the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme by the Food and Agriculture Ministry.
The Minority averred that the claims of government about abundant food and subsequent exportation of the excess to other countries is pure deception, and that the President of the Republic, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, did not present the true picture of the status of food in his 2019 State of the Nation Address.
The Minority Spokesperson on Food and Agriculture and Member of Parliament for Asunafo South, Mr. Eric Opoku, indicated that Ghana fell on the Economic Community West African States (ECOWAS) food security reserves for 2,750 tonnes of cereals according to reports in January 2, 2019.
Mr. Opoku averred that the food security reserves created by ECOWAS as a strategic stock, is stored to feed member States in times of need.
The Asunafo South Member of Parliament reiterated that the government’s action on falling on the strategic stalk of ECOWAS for its School Feeding Programme, clearly shows that the country is in shortage of cereals and other agricultural produce.
“We have taken grains from ECOWAS warehouse and we have promised to pay back in March this year. If that is not borrowing, then what else can be called borrowing? In spite of the current government’s noise that we have produced so much, the government had to rely on ECOWAS for grains”, he lamented.
Mr. Opoku pointed out that the 2019 State of the Nation Address is not reflecting on the ground in the agriculture sector.
He added that the government should be truthful to the citizens it is representing and that politicians should not sacrifice the interest of Ghanaians on the altar of political expediency.
SONA 2019 on Food and Agriculture
The President of the Republic, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in his 2019 State of the Nation Address presented in Parliament, indicated that the country has recorded abundant food products due to the intervention of the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
In his statement, President Akufo-Addo again stated that the country is exporting agricultural produce to other countries due to excess harvest and stock.
President Akufo-Addo again pointed out that the positive results of the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme would help to effectively propel the School Feeding Programme.
The State of the Nation Address comes on the back of Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution, which mandates the President to give an account of the state and status of the nation in all the sectors of the economy.
Source: GhanaJustice/S.Ayisi
