Charles Nyaaba, Head of Advocacy and Programs for the Peasant Farmer Association
Head of Advocacy and Programs for the Peasant Farmer Association, Charles Nyaaba says he doubts the Agric minister’s comment of having a bumper harvest next year.
According to him “issues of food is about national security and if we continue to play politics in that angle we are not actually going to get the real problem to recommend solutions for that.”
He added that the government should admit its failures in providing fertilizers for farmers instead of pushing propaganda.
“The biggest problem that the government failed to do that they need to admit so that we find a solution to is they failing to supply fertilizer for planting for food and jobs.”
Mr Nyaaba condemned the Finance Ministers who he said assured the public that some GHC250 million has been released to pay fertilizer companies which turned out to be false.
“The minister of finance deceived some of us including parliamentarians when the minister told the parliament that they have released GHC250 million for the payment of fertilizer companies. I made a follow-up and they say they have not received a single communication that a certain quantity will be allocated to them.”
He has therefore urged the Agric ministry to put out the truth and avoid propaganda.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie-Akoto has rubbished claims by former president John Dramani Mahama that food drought is imminent in the country.
He said contrary to the unfounded claims, food will be in excess by the end of the year due to the bumper harvest farmers are expecting in the next few months.
“This year we are expecting a bumper harvest. By December you will not hear any farmer complaining that they are not getting maize. I want to assure Ghanaians that we will get food… by October, November, December you will never hear of any complaints…Mahama does not tell the truth. He is always making things up.”
He spoke at the back of former president John Mahama’s comment during his “Thank You” tour where he indicated that the country could experience famine in 2021 over failed government’s planting for food and jobs initiative.