Habib Iddrisu to food suppliers – Don’t be influenced by political entities to continue picketing

Habib Iddrisu, the Second Deputy Majority Whip, has appealed to national food suppliers, urging them not to be influenced by political factors when considering staging protests at the National Food Buffer Stock Company over the owed debt.

During a parliamentary session on Tuesday, Iddrisu emphasized the significance of the food suppliers and advised them not to allow their sentiments to be exploited for political purposes. He stated, “I want to tell the suppliers that they are not just ordinary and they are not just poor people, so they should not allow people to play with their sentiments and the politics of this.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Food and Agriculture provided reassurance to the food suppliers, stating that 50% of the outstanding payments owed to them would be disbursed by the end of Wednesday, July 19, 2023. The Minister confirmed that ¢100 million, which accounts for 50% of the total debt of ¢203 million, had already been transferred to the suppliers’ accounts on Monday, July 17, 2023. The remaining amount is expected to be credited to their accounts by Wednesday.

The Minister further explained the history of payments made by the Buffer Stock Company, stating that since 2017, the company has conducted substantial business with suppliers, amounting to ¢2.7 billion. He specified the payment figures for each year, highlighting that full payments had been made in previous years. However, for 2022, an outstanding balance of ¢203 million remained.

Addressing the concerns of the suppliers, the Minister assured them that 50% of the remaining debt would be paid by midweek, and the remaining 50% would be settled by August 17.

Earlier in a media interaction on Monday, the National Food Suppliers threatened to resume picketing if the government did not credit the owed funds to their accounts by Thursday.

Additionally, the minority caucus once again boycotted parliamentary activities to accompany Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, to court, resulting in a rearrangement of the order of business in the house.

Source – citinewsroom.com