Post harvest losses; bane of agric production - Survey

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• K Bee 10 years ago

  I visited recently a MOFA office in our of the regional capitals to obtain some data on the production levels of some crops in the region for the past four years. I came back empty handed. As a nation we can't make any meanin ...
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  I visited recently a MOFA office in our of the regional capitals to obtain some data on the production levels of some crops in the region for the past four years. I came back empty handed. As a nation we can't make any meaningful progress if we continue this way. The level of post harvest loses especially in vegetable farming is too high to ignore.

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• Sankofa 10 years ago

  'The survey identified hot weather, disease, damages due to handling and transportation, unavailability of a ready market, quality of variety, delayed transportation as factors inducing spoilage in tomatoes and amaranth produ ...
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  'The survey identified hot weather, disease, damages due to handling and transportation, unavailability of a ready market, quality of variety, delayed transportation as factors inducing spoilage in tomatoes and amaranth production'.
  
  So what has this got to do with using hoes and cutlasses and other crude methods of production? Are these not the very tried and tested methods that served our people so well before the advent of the whiteman?
  
  The survey rightly pointed out that post-harvest losses are the key problem facing farmers. This should be addressed by preserving food or getting it quickly to the market. Food can be preserved by processing it or storing it. This requires setting up food-processing factories or cottage industries. Farmers should form co-operatives to help with marketing of their produce. Rehabilitating our railway system would facilitate the transportation of food from remote rural areas to the urban markets.
  
  Agriculture is vital to our economy. Let us identify the real problems facing the peasants who are the backbone of production, and support them to solve these problems.

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• Isaac Adarkwa 10 years ago

  Sir, I just read what you said and I think that is the best to stop the losses to our efforts. We produce but cannot stop the losses. Give us more.

  Sir, I just read what you said and I think that is the best to stop the losses to our efforts. We produce but cannot stop the losses. Give us more.

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• mokhantso.Lesotho 10 years ago

  What an interesting discussion!

  What an interesting discussion!

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• cv 9 years ago

  President Mahama during the 2012 Presidential elections touted his youthfulness at the age of 54 at the time as an advantage over the 67 year old Nana Akuffo Addo. It didn't hurt that his blithesome nature which served as a d ...
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  President Mahama during the 2012 Presidential elections touted his youthfulness at the age of 54 at the time as an advantage over the 67 year old Nana Akuffo Addo. It didn't hurt that his blithesome nature which served as a defensive mechanism to hide his sordid past.President Mahama in his own book titled "My first coup d'tat" admitted that, he is a man who have problems making up his mind and has also been suspected by President Mills of being corrupt despite this knowledge, Ghanaians went ahead and elected him as our President despite his emotional immaturity and impulsiveness. Ghanaian voters were aware of his reckless sexual excapades that has led to him having children out of wedlock with many women and this did not scre us to take a second look at him before we cast our votes.
  
  This President since his assumption into office when President Mills died in has made some decisions that calls for his decision making ability into question soo numerous to count here.
  
  A case in point is when he paid a working visit to the Kumasi shoe factory and when he saw all the shoes being made, he immediately promised to provide shoes to school children free at a time when even free dress to school children had not been implemented fully due to financial constraints and school feeding program is collapsing because of lack of funds but his giddiness at times make him make impulsive decisions.
  
  Another impulsive and immature decision made recently is when he decided at a drop of a dime to send $3.5 million to Brazil to pacify the Blackstars Players agitation for their 'Appearance fees' to Brazil without thinking through the legality of his actions.
  
  This is what Hammer of the last 2 music group has to say about that childish decision;
  
  "This is worse than I thought… Government was actually able to speedily mobilize 3.5 million dollars in less than twenty four hours, bundle the cash in bags, chatter a flight from Ghana to Brazil, hire 72 Military Police, 19 Municipal Guards, 26 Squadron Ground Force Military, 14 members of the Grupamento de Operacoes Especiais de Brasilia, One Aeronautical Policia (Air Force), 2 Highway Patrol Battalion and an Air Mobile Brasilia Group to send the $3.5 million through the streets of Brasilia to the players. Woow!!! Hahaha eih!“
  
  Not only is President Mahama impulsive and immature, he is also corrupt or how can he stop the investigation into the $63,000 a month rent by NPA under the Chairmanship of Moses Asaga? His own Chief of Staff, Prosper Bani asked the Energy Ministry not to renew the rent agreement at the end of the current tenure, adding "the Presidency is reviewing the approval processes that went into the decision to commit state funds to rent an office when the upfront payment involved could have completed a permanent office building for the NPA.
  
  What is the President reviewing?
  
  Why stop the investigation?
  
  Who owns this building?
  
  How much money was paid upfront that Mr Bani said could have built NPA its own office?
  
  In Ghana where rent payment is usually paid upfront between one year and five years, the upfront payment by NPA could be as little as $756,000 and as much as $3,780,000.
  
  The initial contract is rumoured to have been signed when Alexander Mould was the NPA CEO and the building from the grapevine is owned by a female former Attorney General.
  
  The question then is this; Was this investigation stopped to cover up for the President and his party insatiable corruption? GHANAIANS WANT TO KNOW.
  
  Mr. President, tell us how much money was paid upfront to rent this building and who the owner of this building is. This information is readily available to you and does not need any investigation. IS THIS TOO MUCH TO ASK BY GHANAIAN TAXPAYERS?
  
  Justice Sarpong
  
  (CARDINAL of TRUTH)

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