Clement Apaak calls for Agric Minister’s head over army worms

Dr. Clement Apaak, Member of Parliament for the Builsa South constituency, is insisting that the Minister in charge of Agric, Dr. Afriyie Akoto should resign from his post because he has lost credibility.

He was of the opinion that, the claims by the Minister that the fall army worms were defeated totally, whereas farmers in his constituency were seriously affected, makes the minister a liar and that that does not fit for his job.

“If the whole minister can come and stand in front of parliament and make a declaration that we’ve defeated the fall army worm infestation when we have not, was unfortunate and disgraceful,” Dr Clement Apaak told Kwame Afrifa -Mensah on Happy FM’s ‘Epa Hoa Daben’ show.

The declaration by the Minister he stressed was insulting to Ghanaians hence the need for him to resign honorably.

The former presidential staffer said, he personally visited some communities within his constituency and was shocked at the destruction on farms by the army worms.

“He should resign for making a statement that was palpably false because I can demonstrate that the minister lied when he made that declaration. It is quite clear that the minister lied to the people of Ghana…And as a serious country that believes in democracy, we should force him to resign,” he said.

When asked what he could do for his constituents personally, he said, there was nothing much he could because the chemicals are not even available for him to purchase and distribute to the affected farmers.

“That is one of the challenges. Those who even got the chemicals were not properly oriented on how to use them,” he said.

He called on government to look at a programme that will assist the farmers affected by the fall army worm.

From an initial infestation of 1,400 hectares earlier this year, the pests have infected more than 112,000 hectares of farm lands.

But the Minister told Parliament in August that the pests have been defeated and that the country’s food security is intact.

This the MP said was false adding, “ there is no community I have visited that I have not cited army worm. The minister for agric peddled falsehood to Parliament when he appeared before us,’’ he stated.