Ghana's Food Situation Not Bad- Minister

Story: Lucy Adoma Yeboah
GHANA has not as yet been affected by the alarming food price increase the world is experiencing.
While the global average food price increase stands at 37 per cent, figures from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) indicate that increase in food prices in Ghana is at 12 per cent.
This shows that food prices in Ghana are relatively low as compared to elsewhere in the world where countries experience increase as high as 75 per cent.
Information available at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture indicates that the world is currently facing food shortage which experts attribute to a combination of factors, including climate change which brought about floods and droughts and also the shift from fossil fuel to bio-diesel where food items such as grains and legumes had to be processed into fuel.
In an interview with the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Ernest Akubour Debrah, in Accra, he said Ghana’s success story was because of prudent measures taken by the agricultural sector to prevent any catastrophic effects that might affect the country because of global food shortages.
Mr Debrah said in addition to supplying the farmers with high yielding seedlings, one major step that the ministry took which was paying off was the collaboration it had with the association of award winners in the agric sector to motivate them to produce all year round.
Answering why he said Ghana’s food situation was relatively better, the minister said that unlike in previous years, there were still white yams on the market at this time of the year, adding that that was why the consumption of water yams had not started yet.
He also added that vegetables, especially tomatoes, had continued to be on the market all year round and at reasonable prices unlike other times where prices went skyrocketing.
The Food and Agriculture minister added that a study of the market situation by any objective observer could reveal that maize and other legumes were available and at relatively affordable prices.
He said in addition to the effects of climate change and the conversion of grains and legumes to fuel, the high price of fuel and farm inputs and machinery was also a factor.
Other items which the minister said were creating problems in food production include high fertiliser and transportation costs due to high fuel price.
Mr Debrah also said because the global consumption of animal products had increased, large amount of grains was being used to feed animals instead of direct consumption by humans.