Minority – Stranded onion traders is an example of government’s unsuccessful implementation of PFJ
The closure of the Niger border as a result of the military takeover of the country has exposed the significant shortcomings of the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs policy, according to the Minority in Parliament.
Ghanaian traders dealing in onions find themselves stranded at the Benin border for an extended duration. They have reached out to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, urging his intervention to facilitate the release of approximately 70 trucks laden with onions from Niger to Ghana through Benin.
Due to the closure of the border following the Niger coup, these trucks and their drivers have remained immobilized at the border for several weeks.
Addressing these concerns, Eric Opoku, the Ranking Member on the Food and Agriculture Committee of Parliament, criticized the government for resorting to importing vegetables that were initially intended to be produced under the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative.
He stated, “It is obvious that we are not able to produce enough onions in Ghana to meet the demand here. So, we import a lot of onions from Niger. We spend over $100 million annually to import onions and ginger to support local production. The coup in Niger and the subsequent closure of the borders are seriously affecting the traders.”
“I have already said that the Planting for Food and Jobs programme has been a monumental failure. We invested so much in the programme, but we achieved nothing. All the items that were captured under the programme, we are still importing in larger quantities,” Eric Opoku stated.
The turbulence in Niger has led to astronomical price hikes in vegetables. Presently, bags of vegetables command prices ranging between GH¢1,500 and GH¢1,600. Industry insiders express concerns that without prompt resolution, these prices could escalate further to GH¢3,000-GH¢4,000.
Source – cititinewsroom.com
