GAWU DISAGREES WITH MoFA OVER BUMPER HARVEST

Edward Kareweh, General Secretary for General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), has disagreed with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) over the forecast of bumper harvest come 2022.
In an interview with TV3, the General Secretary of GAWU said conversations about food security should not be politicized since they form part of the livelihood and the economy.
Citing a series of concerns raised since the beginning of 2021, Mr. Kareweh indicated that “you have to look on the ground to be able to predict if there will be a bumper harvest. “
“During the planting season, the Ministry of Agriculture came to tell us that the Planting for Food and Jobs Program (PFJ) was struggling to survive, before that the Graphic reported that four regions have been hit by drought, and all that, working together was threatening the food security in this country. We have also been told by the Ministry that the subsidized fertilizer which was meant for farmers are being smuggled out“, he said.
“If we look at the challenges on the ground, it does not portray a bumper harvest,” he noted.
Mr Kareweh believes to prevent food shortage as predicted by former President, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, fertilizers should be made available for the 2021 lean season while the government takes steps to stop food export which is regarded as the cause of high price of food as well as consider importation to supplement local production.
The former President, John Mahama, in a radio interview said the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative has failed due to lack of funds. He indicated that a maize farmer friend of his saw a drastic reduction in production this year and thereby predicted a food shortage for the year 2022.
The Ministry of Health debunked the claims of Mr Mahama with the assurance that there will rather be a bumper harvest in the coming year.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini