The Volta Regional Secretariat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has taken on the Minister responsible for Food and Agriculture Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto over claims that fertilizer shortage in Volta Region is a sheer propaganda.
Mr. Sorkpa K. Agbleze, the NDC Volta Regional communications officer in statement coughs striking revelation to counter the Minister’s response on the subject matter.
According to him, when the NDC in the Volta Region first drew attention of the general public to the disturbing and worrying shortage of fertilizer in the Region, the Minister for Food and Agriculture (MOFA) quickly and readily dispatched it as “NDC propaganda”.
He said, unfortunately for MOFA, their response eventually admitted that there was critical shortage of fertilizer across the country and proceeded to acknowledge that the circumstances were beyond the control of MOFA.
“A development that was described as NDC propaganda, suddenly becomes, a situation beyond the control of MOFA. This is absolutely incredible.”
The National Democratic Congress is appalled by the inconsistent response from the Minister of Food and Agriculture, a man who many Ghanaians see as a person that denies issues raised concerning his Ministry and later comes round to admit same.
“One would have thought that with the concerns raised regarding the shortage of fertilizer, the minister would go to the farmers on the ground and find out the reality of their plight. On the contrary, the Minister chose the comfort of a meeting with his Regional Directors to say there is no shortage of fertilizers in the Volta Region.”
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“The Minister of Agriculture and his Ministry seem to have a response template for anyone who tries to raise issues with fertilizer shortage in Ghana.”
Mr. Sorkpa K. Agbleze added that, reference can be made to the National President of the Peasant Farmers Association, Abdul-Rahman Mohammed, who said the reduction of fertilizer from 50% to 38% for farmers is having a toll on their production.
This was firmly refuted by the Minister of Food and Agriculture as untrue and that there was no fertilizer shortage. This position notwithstanding, the Ministry went ahead to claim that “in May 2019, we distributed almost 60,000 metric tonnes fertilizers, in 2020, we gave 34,048 metric tonnes of fertilizers and in 2021, we sent out 21,996 metric tonnes of fertilizers”
He further argued that, the figure presented by the Ministry clearly shows a sharp reduction in fertilizer. Thus confirming the shortage story of Mr. Abdul Rahman- Mohammed even though the Ministry claimed his narrative was untrue.
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“The Hon. Minister of Food and Agriculture is on record to have said that the shortage of fertilizer in Volta Region is an NDC propaganda yet in his response to access to fertilizer in the region, he went ahead to say “the fertilizers had only been restricted to vetted retailers in 26 border districts in the country, six of which were in the Region”. This is a clear confirmation that there is a reduction in availability and access to fertilizers in the Volta Region.”
“The Minister in his own response once again said “we are expecting that there will be shortage of fertilizer and of course that means that fertilizer prices are going up and up, which will mean that farmers will get less fertilizers applied at their fields”. This statement, one more time, confirms the fact as stated by the NDC about the shortage of fertilizers in the Volta Region.”
According to NDC, the admission of shortage of fertilizers in the Volta Region is also evident in the response circulated by the PRO of MOFAÂ calling on the various District Directors in the Volta Region to come so that they can solve the concerns raised by the NDC Volta regarding the shortage of fertilizers.
“If the Minister says they are aware of shortage of fertilizers and his PRO also admits there is a problem, why then is he referring to the same issues raised by NDC Volta as propaganda? Or is the Hon. Minister of Agriculture inviting the District Directors to Accra to butress the NDC propaganda?”
“The Minister of Food and Agriculture should know that Volta Region is a land of upright people with deep sense of intelligence hence the farmers in the region will not engage in pedestrian and clandestine activities to claim there is a shortage of fertilizers if it is not true.”
“The NDC Volta can authoritatively say that some assembly members went in search of fertilizers and did not get, a member of parliament sent his people to get fertilizers for his farm and they did not get any to buy. The shortage of fertilizers in the Volta Region is real and not an NDC propaganda.”
The NDC Volta is equally alarmed by the call made by the Minister that they are going to stop the subsidized fertilizer to the small scale farmers in the country. This statement in itself is an admission of problems with the “Planting for Food and Jobs” because the fulcrum of the planting for food and jobs is the supply of subsidized seedlings and fertilizers to farmers. Is it a vote of no confidence in the “Planting for Food and Jobs” programme?
SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh
 has taken on the Minister responsible for Food and Agriculture Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto over claims that fertilizer shortage in Volta Region is a sheer propaganda.Mr. Sorkpa K. Agbleze, the NDC Volta Regional communications officer in statement coughs striking revelation to counter the Minister's response on the subject matter.){kind=link}