A former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Akoto Afriyie has observed, the only means of empowering and increasing the income of the local farmer is to introduce an import restriction ban on food products.
Speaking at the launch of 70th anniversary of the Faculty of Agriculture at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the former Kwadaso lawmaker said Ghana has the ability to produce more than it consumes with the right investments.
“There is the need for urgent attention on the issue of food imports. Our farmers are heavily disadvantaged under the current import regime. They (farmers) desperately need a level playing field in order to compete effectively with their counterparts abroad,” Dr Akoto Afriyie explained.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry in December 2023, presented a legislative instrument which sought to restrict the importation of 22 strategic products, including poultry, rice, sugar, and tripe (animal intestines) among others.
The import restriction bill, according to the sector minister, Kobina Tahir Hammond was aimed at protecting local farmers and manufacturers of the affected items.
The Ministry was concerned that, Ghana imports over $200 million worth of animal intestines, annually.
Source: 3news.com
