The recent price hikes in farm inputs coupled with the shortage of inorganic fertilizers and other factors have inflated the prices of food commodities and reduced the number of farm acreage by the farmers in the country. This has generated fear and panic among the general public predicting hunger strikes in the coming seasons.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Afriyie Akoto Osei has explained that there is no shortage of food in Ghana and there would not be a hunger strike as a result of food shortage. According to him, Ghana has about twenty-seven thousand metric tonnes (27,000mt) of maize stored.
He made this declaration on a Face to Face programme on Citi TV with Omaru Sanda. The Minister said the 27,000mt was just recorded at two regions in Ghana, “the figure is from nine (9) markets at two regions, Ashanti and Bono Ahafo East region, the Northern and other regions’ stocks have not been taken into account so if people say there is no food they don’t know what they are talking about”.
To buttress his points the Minister said these are left-over stocks from the 2021 harvest, Ghana would have a bumper harvest 2022 season. “This year’s crop is going to be heavy, why because we have never had such a good rainfall pattern for the past five years I have been the minister. The crops on the field are very healthy, therefore, if they are harvested at the close of the season, Ghana would be on solid grounds to ensure food security”, Hon. Afriyie Akoto added.
