Afriyie Akoto Urges Parliament to Admit LI Restricting Food Imports

The immediate past Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has urged the Parliament of Ghana to as a matter of urgency, prioritize the protection of local farmers and industries on their agenda by restricting food imports into the West African country.

According to him, the absence of a Legislative Instrument (L.I)) restricting food imports into Ghana is causing a lot of havoc to players in the agricultural sector, especially, the poultry, rice and palm oil industries.

Addressing the public on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, as the Distinguished Guest Speaker at the launch of the 70th Anniversary celebration of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the iconic global Agriculture Economist emphasized the need for swift action by the Ghanaian legislature.

He pointed to ongoing widespread protests across Europe, where farmers are aggressively complaining about rising prices of fertilizer and other farm inputs, as well as declining farm incomes. This, he suggested, should spur Ghanaian lawmakers to protect the interests of local farmers.

He spoke on the theme: “Recent developments in agricultural policy in Ghana”.

Describing the situation as critical which demands urgent attention, the Cambridge University Scholar highlighted a scenario where in 2021 Ghanaian poultry farmers competed with their foreign counterparts by producing chicken at an estimated cost of GHS26.00 per kilo against imported chicken that was sold at GHS16.00 per kilo.

The difference in prices, Dr. Akoto noted, puts Ghana’s local poultry farmers at a disadvantage position, stressing that “the chicken importers are landing their products in Ghana heavily subsidized by the countries of origin”.

“Our farmers are heavily disadvantaged under the current import regime. They desperately need a level playing field in order to compete effectively with their counterparts abroad. What is currently playing out in Europe, especially, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland among many other countries, where farmers are up in arms protesting vehemently against their governments for rising fertilizer prices and declining farm incomes, should be a lesson to our Legislature to act as a matter of urgency to restrict food imports which are being dumped on the Ghanaian markets against the interest of our farmers,” he noted.

Dr. Akoto who has worked in the UN Systems for over 18 years said it is only when an L.I. restricting food imports into Ghana is introduced and implemented that local farmers could produce more to boost food production, thereby, sustaining the country’s food security.

He said the current regime where local farmers compete with their counterparts abroad, are killing businesses, urging the Parliament of Ghana to reconsider the L.I. restricting the 22 import items of which 12 were food imports it rejected.

In November 2023, the Minister of Trade and Industry, K. T. Hammond, laid in Parliament a Legislative Instrument (L.I.) on the Export and Import  (Restrictions on Importation of Selected Strategic Product) Regulations, 2023.

The proposed ban or restrictions on imports were on 22 items including rice, guts, and stomach of animals, poultry, animal and vegetable oil, margarine, fruit juices, soft drinks, mineral water, noodles and pasta, ceramic tiles, corrugated paper and paper board, mosquito coil and insecticides, soaps and detergents, motor cars, iron and steel and cement.

The rest were polymers (plastics and plastic products), fish, sugar, clothing and apparel, biscuits and canned tomatoes.

The proposed legislation empowers the Minister of Trade and Industry to issue licenses to potential importers of goods.

However, the proposal was shot down by the legislature. Critics of the policy said if the policy had gone through, it would have given too much power to the Trade Minister and create room for corruption.

Dr. Akoto, a former two-term Member of Parliament for Kwadaso constituency commenting further, said the timing of the introduction of the Legislative Instrument restricting food imports was apt considering the impact free access to the Ghanaian market was having on local farmers.

The 70th Anniversary celebration marks a significant milestone in the history of the Faculty of Agriculture at KNUST. The weeklong celebration, from February 13 to February 17, 2024, will unite alumni, students, faculty, staff, esteemed guests, and other stakeholders who have contributed to the success of the Faculty.

Story by Nana Kwaku Boffah