The Minority in Parliament has averred that the closure of the Niger border due to the military takeover of the country has affirmed the failure of the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs policy.
The Ranking Member on the Food and Agriculture Committee of Parliament, Eric Opoku, could not understand why Ghana will import vegetables that were supposed to be produced under the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.
He was responding to concerns raised by onion traders who have been stranded at the Benin border for an extended period over the closure of the border in Niger.
The traders want the government to intervene and secure the release of approximately 70 trucks carrying onions from Niger to Ghana via Benin.
The Ranking Member speaking on the matter said “It is obvious that we are not able to produce enough onions in Ghana to meet the demand here. So, we import a lot of onions from Niger. We spend over $100 million annually to import onions and ginger to support local production. The coup in Niger and the subsequent closure of the borders are seriously affecting the traders.”
“I have already said that the Planting for Food and Jobs programme has been a monumental failure. We invested so much in the programme, but we achieved nothing. All the items that were captured under the programme, we are still importing in larger quantities,” Eric Opoku said.
By: Rainbowrdioonline.com/Ghana
