Dormaahene urges agric minister to address importation of cassava
Agric minister denies increment in food prices
The Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, has challenged the minister of food and agriculture, Dr Owusu Akoto Afriyie, to address reports of Ghana importing cassava from some countries.
The Dormaahene claims to have learnt Ghana now imports rice from Egypt, China and Belgium.
In a video shared by TV3, the Dormaahene who is also a High Court judge said he is struggling to come to terms with the story.
“I don’t want to believe what I’m hearing. Today, Ghanaians import cassava. It has been revealed that we import cassava from China, Egypt and Belgium at high prices. I don’t want to believe that it is true. The agric minister should come and deny this. If it so then Ghanaians should be very careful We spend too much on importation of rice, cassava and others,” he said.
The Dormaahene was lamenting the high cost of food prices in the country, which he believes is down to the importation of the materials.
Last month, the agric minister denied reports of increment in food prices in the country.
“That is the wrong perception. The statistics that we compiled in this Ministry do not support that,” said the minister during the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed members of the Irrigation Company of Upper Region (ICOUR).
“This is our fifth year of Planting for food and jobs. Nobody complained about reducing the size of kenkey until this year because there was a drought this year in the Southern part… that affected supplies.”
The minister also insisted that the government’s flagship agricultural programme, Planting for Food and Jobs has so far been successful.
“The Planting for Food and Jobs is very much alive and it is going to carry on. It is maturing; more and more farmers are benefitting. We have seen productivity which is the target for smallholders.” Read Full Story
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