The President of the Republic and the Agriculture Minister blessed the nation by implementing the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) policy. This made it easy for everyone to go into food production.
This laudable policy was however painted black by the opposition. This was more evident when the former National Democratic Congress’ Member of Parliament for Ejura Sekyeredumase Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Alhaji Mohammed Issifu Pangadu, who benefited from that policy and came out to praise it, but was attacked by his own party members for doing that.
According to him, his party members disagreed with this public praise of an opposing party’s policy.
To further bastardise the PFJ policy, fake news came out recently that Ghana imported $ 400 million of tomato from Burkina Faso, while total export in all items from our northern neighbours to Ghana, is not above $50 million.
When the global economic crunch took a hard grip on Ghana, fuel prices shot up and with it, cost of goods and services as well. The bumper harvest season came and yet foodstuffs were sold at cut throat prices. The airwaves were awash with the statements like, “Planting for Food and Jobs has failed.” “Planting for Food and Jobs is a scam.”
It turned out not to be so, because while a bunch of plantain was selling at GH¢10.00 at some farm gates, a finger of plantain could sell for GH¢1.00 or even GH¢1.50 on the local market.
Hunger in the midst of this global economic crisis was becoming too much and just when Ghanaians were about giving up, the honourable Agric minister, Dr Afriyie Akoto, took a noble decision and went into the hinterlands and brought foodstuffs to Accra and sold them at very cheap cost.
This is a very good decision he took and he ought to be commended.
But that was not to be. Dr. Afriyie Akoto was harshly and rudely attacked for this initiative.
The media landscape had some headlines reading, “Agric Ministry’s market could incite public against traders,” “GUTA bemoans sale of foodstuffs at Agric Ministry,” “GUTA slams Agric Ministry over sale of cheap food items” and “GAWU joins calls for removal of Afriyie Akoto as Agric Minister.”
To say this is ridiculous will be an understatement. One could not fathom the insensitivity of some Ghanaians. Whenever times get rough and people are in a fix, that will be the time some Ghanaians would use the opportunity to make money. The early days of Covid-19, ring a bell.
The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), president, Dr Joseph Obeng set the ball rolling with issues that could not be comprehended. According to him, market traders could find themselves on the bad side of the general public following the Agric Ministry’s direct sale of foodstuffs. Adding that traders face numerous challenges and bear huge costs to transport goods to sell and all these are factored into their pricing. He claimed that the ministry is only subsidising prices.
The General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) also joined in with its General Secretary, Edward Kareweh, demanding that the Agric minister should be removed from office, because his underperformance has contributed to high prices of food on the Ghanaian market.
He added that the PFJ programme which cost over GH¢ 4 billion had nothing to show but in the same breath, turned round to criticise the minister’s plan to cart food from farm gates to Accra and sell at cheaper prices.
Let me begin with Kareweh who said the PFJ programme was a waste with nothing to show. Where did the minister get the foodstuffs from, then?
And Dr. Joseph Obeng also came out to say that the ministry is subsidizing the cost of foodstuffs. What proof can he offer? Now assuming it is even true, is it not the duty of government to subsidize prices of goods and services when the crunch on the people is too hard to bear?
In 2008, did President Kufuor not subsidise price of ex-pump fuel, even when the world producer price of crude kept shooting high into the region of $142 a barrel?
If it was right then, why should it be wrong now?
Talking about high cost of transportation will also not wash. How much cost is charged on transportation, to justify buying twenty-five tubers of yam at GH¢100.00 at farm gate and selling one tuber at GH¢30.00 in the markets?
To me, the same cost of transportation for the traders is what the ministry incurred. And the vehicles the ministry hired had no access to subsidized fuel at ex-pump.
The cry that the public will go against traders is neither here nor there. In fact, there are many traders who are at a loss of how prices of foodstuffs shoot up between the farm gates and the markets. With this scheme introduced by the minister, market women can buy the foodstuffs cheaply and sell them cheaply while making good profit at the same time.
GUTA and GEWU are exposing themselves as institutions which do not want Ghana to work. Instead of sitting down and finding ways of convincing their members not to overcharge, they are here blaming the honourable Minister, who knows what he is doing and doing them well.
Thank you, Hon. Dr. Afriyie Akoto, you are of good service, kudos!
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
