The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, has clarified that the government of Ghana has not declared a national disaster on drought, nor has it declared a state of emergency.
The Minister explained that the situation at hand was a dry spell and cannot be equated to a drought.
He was responding to concerns raised by Helen Adwoa Ntosu, Member of Parliament for Krakye West, voiced concerns about the government’s drought disaster response in Ghana’s Northern Region.
She scrutinised the data driving relief fund allocation and the Ministry of Agriculture and National Disaster Management Organisation’s initiatives.
The Member called for transparent data collection and distribution, suggesting collaboration with MPs from various constituencies to ensure data accuracy.
The Member of Parliament requested clarification on whether the Ministry collaborated with the National Disaster Management Organisation in addressing the issue.
She further expressed dissatisfaction with the allocated amount for affected farmers, noting that households with multiple affected farmers warranted more support, particularly considering the international household standard of five; therefore, GHC 3000 was grossly insufficient.
In his response, Minister of Food and Agriculture Bryan Acheampong clarified that the Government of Ghana has declared a dry spell, not a national drought disaster, highlighting the distinction.
He stated that affected farmers will receive GHC 1,000 in support, not GHC 3,000.
Fertilisers were allocated through programs, including grant fertilisers for registered farmers on the Ghana Agriculture and Agribusiness Platform and targeted support for vulnerable farmers via MPs, he said.
The Minister stressed the importance of adhering to instructions and proper distribution channels for fertiliser support.
“We have not declared a national disaster on the drought. We mentioned a dry spell, and a dry spell is totally different from a drug spell, which would have necessitated the declaration of a national disaster. A dry spell—a near drought condition—is not a drought. We have not declared a drought. It was a dry spell. We can play back my statement and press conferences. Number two, we have not said anywhere that we are giving GHC 3,000 to any farmer. We have not said anything there. We are going to give GHC1,000 per farmer.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
