Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Ghana’s Minister of Food and Agriculture, has admitted that food prices are rising.
He did, however, say that this is due to factors beyond his control, such as the ongoing geopolitical tension between Russia and Ukraine, which he claims has hampered fertilizer supply.
“Some of the bulkiest items you can carry around happen to be foodstuffs,” he said at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, March 23.
“As a result, the cost of transportation from the farm gate to the consumer has risen as well.” So I have no control over these two elements. In terms of transportation, it is also not limited to agriculture.
“What I am not sure about is how the farmer is going to take it. Now people are talking about 400, 500, even 600 cedis per bag when only two years ago it was 120. ”
Earlier, the Head of Programme and Advocacy at the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) Dr Charles Nyaaba asked the government to review the fertilizer subsidy programme under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative to target smallholder farmers.
He said the farmers have been hit harder by the tension between Russia and Ukraine because the development is affecting the import of fertilizer.
Dr Nyaaba was speaking on the News@10 on TV3 Monday March 21 in relation to an announcement by the government the 16 flagship programmes are going to be looked at.
“You will realize that if you look at the support of the Planting for Food and Jobs, the major areas that farmers have benefited is the fertilizer subsidy programme. This fertilizer, we depend 100 per cent on importation. Because we are now having global prices it is hitting us hard.
“So I look for a situation where government rather will review and we target small holder farmers,” he told Martin Asiedu Darteh.
- Ghana’s food security situation is expected to deteriorate in the next months, according to peasant farmers.
- The value of MoMo transactions fell by 8% between December and January as a result of the e-levy controversy.
Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah announced that all the 16 flagship programmes of the government including the free senior high school (SHS) programme and the PFJ are up to be looked at.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah said the president wants the programmes to be protected and fully implemented to impact the lives of all Ghanaians.
“All the 16 flagship programmes are up to be looked at. The President has directed that the flagship programmes should be protected and fully implemented to ensure that the impact is achieved.
“However, he wants it done within the constraints of item number 2 which is the fiscal framework we are working with. If based on the caps that we are working with we will have to rescope a particular flagship program, we will do it and see how much we can achieve,” he told Accra-based Citi FM on Monday March 21.
