Food Crisis ­ Ghanaians Express Anger at Govt

The response from Ghanaians on a recently published article titled "53% of Ghanaians Struggling to Afford Food" based on a survey by Gallup has drawn an angry response from Ghanaians about the handling of the food crisis by the government of Ghana.

One respondent went as far as saying ³Ghanaians must arise!² ­ a statement that reflects the mood of the people in North Africa and the Middle East that has caused ³uncaring² governments to topple one by one.

The article by FSG reported on a recent Gallup survey that indicated that 53 percent of Ghanaians reported that here were times in the past 12 months when they did not have enough money to buy the food that they or their families needed.

Respondents to the article that was referenced by major international media overwhelmingly blamed the current government for the dire straits that many Ghanaians are finding themselves in.

One respondent said, ³I was driving yesterday and I counted 15 children begging for money at 37 junction alone.² He continued to say that Kwame Nkrumah would turn in his grave if he saw that.

Another respondent commented as follows, ³We told you NDC is a nation breaker! How can verandah boys with fake revolution ideas rule in this modern world? Nothing is going on, everything is basaaaaaaaaaaaaa under these greedy bastards.²

Strong emotions like the above are a recurring theme through the comments on the FSG article with calls for a regime change.

Some respondents pointed the fingers at the NPP led government saying, ³It is NPP and its forbears that have led us into this perennial situation. Theirs is SHORT TERM gains. We need to build our own capacity.²

Other respondents sent a signal of desperation by saying, ³Lord have mercy!!!!!²

One respondent felt that the situation has taken a turn for the worse by saying, ³There was hardship under Kuffour but now even middle income earners like doctors, nurses etc are feeling impoverished.²

Another commentator touched on the issue of local production and said, ³Ghana has what it takes to feed its citizens and Africa as a whole. We prefer imports and neglect locally produced food. When the West suffers, imports suffer and it is about time to look locally and financially support farmers and encourage students to venture into mechanised farming as you introduce subsidies if necessary.²

FSG fully supports the concept of becoming self-sufficient in terms of staple foods such as rice.

The revolutions or popular uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East were not only for democracy, but a rejection of uncaring leaders and high food prices.

It looks as if Ghanaians are starting to question how caring the government is amidst a global food crisis and persistence by the government to punish its citizens by maintaining ridiculously high import tariffs on staple foods such as rice.