Agric Minister has moved from being a plantain producer to seller - Minority mocks Afriyie Akoto

Eric Opoku, Member of Parliament for Asunafo South Constituency, Eric Opoku

Member of Parliament for Asunafo South Constituency, Eric Opoku, has said that, the Ministry of Agriculture is creating an impression about its competence, despite the seeming failure of the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.

According to him, the Minister for Agriculture who is supposed to be producing food for Ghanaians is now selling plantain at his ministry.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Eric Opoku described the planting for Food and Jobs project is a failed one.

“Mr Speaker the Minister for Agriculture realised that the Planting for Food and Jobs program has failed, he opportunistically created the impression that Planting for Food and Jobs has led to the production of plantain in abundance. All the crops captured under the Planting for Food and Jobs have been listed here excluding plantain yet the minister who is supposed to be the food producer has now turned to plantain seller,” he said on November 29, 2022.

This comes following the sale of food stuff at its premises in Accra.

The Ministry announced this in a statement dated November 10, 2022, indicating that the initiative is a pilot project under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), to mitigate the impact of rising food prices on real incomes of civil and local government workers.

The initiative began on November 11, 2022 at the ministry's premises with plantain being sold on the first day.

Members of Parliament (MPs) have commenced debate on the 2023 budget statement.

This comes after the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, appeared before the house in fulfilment of his constitutional mandate by presenting the government budget to the house.

The presentation is in accordance with Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution and section 21 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).

In a year that has seen some of the worst economic downturns in the fourth republic, the minister presented the 2023 budget statement and monetary policy to parliament.

NYA/WA