The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has debunked suggestions that Ghana is at the brink of experiencing food shortage amid recent hikes in prices of foodstuffs on the market.
MoFA emphatically noted that there is enough food available in the country and urged Ghanaians to ignore such predictions. The ministry thus, allayed fears of the public that Ghana faces a looming food shortage and said food shortage is far from Ghana.
MoFA explained that the recent hikes in foodstuff prices was due to the Ministry’s inability to meet its production target and that such situations happen when demand outstrip supply.
However, the ministry admitted that it was unable to produce much to meet its target as a result of a prolonged drought experienced in-between the cropping season.
“You know, in season, prices come down and out of season they go high and this year is not an exception. So, what is contributing to this is partially a prolonged drought between the cropping season. So, our target hasn’t been achieved and to add insult to injury, the neighbouring countries coming to mop-up our surpluses in terms of the grains is also very key”.
MoFA
Meanwhile, Regional Director of MoFA in the Northern Region stated that there is always cars fully loaded with maize. So, he doesn’t believe there is a possibility of shortage of foodstuffs in the country.
“Now, I am up north here for a meeting and I can still see trucks loading maize from the Upper West and Upper East part of the country down to Accra, so we haven’t gotten to a point that we will experience food shortage in the country, no. The Southern Belt is harvesting and soon Northern Ghana would be harvesting.”
MoFA
The Peasant Farmers Association, early this week, predicted food shortage next year due to challenges with accessing fertilizers and exportation of some food products to neighbouring countries.
Regional Directors of Upper East and Upper West noted that the areas hardest hit by the recent floods were not the actual hub of production though few farms had been affected.
The Director explained that areas such as Sisala, Lambusi, Wa East and Wa West, which were the food basket of the Upper West Region, together with the Upper East areas, had their crops doing well.
MoFA further noted that the ministry had so far completed 30 warehouses across the country at various locations, adding that the then Ministry of Special initiative Development also constructed about 50 warehouses, which had been taken over by MoFA.
“Work is ongoing to complete others to have enough storage spaces for our grains”
MoFA
In addition, Government is also establishing a Grains Development Authority to ensure the country does not experience food shortage.
Furthermore, the ministry pledged to regulate the quantity of grains ship out of the country.
“Months ago, there were complaints of the collapse of the poultry sector because there is no feed. So, as a result, the Ministry has taken steps to institute what we call the Grains Development Authority. First, it has to go to Cabinet before it goes to Parliament for approval and this Authority will regulate the quantity of grains that will be exported, especially to neighbouring countries”.
MoFA
Meanwhile, the MoFA and the Ministry of Trade and Industry have also recently inaugurated a Soya Bean Committee to halt the exportation of soya bean to neighbouring countries to enable Ghana to attain self-sufficiency in terms of production to save the poultry industry.
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