A baseline survey conducted by SEND-Ghana on the School Feeding Programme in the East Gonja District has indicated that 50 percent of caterers contracted on the programme did not pass through competitive tendering.

They were "handpicked" contrary to the normal laid down procedure.

The survey, which was conducted in 27 schools for 29 caterers as respondents also revealed that caterers on the programme pre-financed pupils from their own funds but repayment of their funds usually delay creating anxiety and apathy among them.

The baseline survey, which was presented by Jonathan Derry, Field Officer of SEND-Ghana, is part of an implementation process of a four-year project to assist smallholder farmers in three African countries to supply the School Feeding Programme with local farmers to produce to enhance their income levels.

It is being implemented by SNV Netherlands Development Organization while SEND-Ghana is the local partner.

The Project known as: “Procurement Ggovernance for home grown school feeding programmes” is being implemented in Ghana, Kenya and Mali and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with a 7.5 million dollar grant to support over 78,000 farmers gain access to previously denied markets, improve their livelihoods and incomes, while millions of children would receive better nutrition through their schools.

The project which started last year is being implemented in 20 districts as a pilot with the Karaga and the East Gonja districts in the Northern Region as part of the beneficiaries.

Most of the caterers who were at the presentation of the survey, expressed disappointment at the rice sold to them by the National Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), saying that the rice was too costly, had lower quality and urged the stakeholders to stop providing NAFCO rice to them.

Mr. Nuredeen Abdul-Rahman, NAFCO Quality Control Officer, who was at the meeting said at the national level, NAFCO and School Feeding Programme had some level of agreement on the prices of rice taking into consideration some factors in arriving at the final price of processed rice.

He stated that last year, there was a guaranteed price of GHc45 per bag of paddy rice which was bought from farmers at the local level that attracted transportation, milling that brought the total cost at GHc80, arguing that it was yet to come out of a new price for the year and assured that militating factors would be addressed.

Mr. Abdul-Karim Yahaya, East Gonja District Coordinating Director, said 32 schools with a student population of 11,576 in the district, were participating in the school feeding programme with the hope of increasing the beneficiaries.

He observed that the major problem facing school feeding in the area was inadequate and low quality of water supply noting that most communities in the area lacks water, especially in the dry season compelling caterers to use poor water source for cooking.