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Gov’t institutions to compulsorily buy local foodstuff

The Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr Akoto Owusu Afriyie said the state-owned institutions can only import into the country if local producers are unable to supply their demanded foods.

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This was revealed by the Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr Akoto Owusu Afriyie.

Speaking to Accra-based Joy FM, he said this agreement was reached at a cabinet meeting. He added that the state-owned institutions can only import into the country if local producers are unable to supply their demanded foods.

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“We will have the first option of supplying them with foodstuffs. It’s only when we cannot supply them that they can go and buy from outside… So that we create the demand with government procurement power for the food that the farmers produce and that is the way forward.”

“This is an innovation. In the previous years, they have done it verbally and it has not worked. This time, the cabinet has agreed that we enter into this documented arrangement so that they take (the food farmers produce) from us,” Dr. Afriyie added.

Meanwhile cabinet has directed the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministries of Health, Education as well as Gender, Children and Social Protection to make the new directive binding.

This directive is expected to check the increased yield that may be occur due to the implementation of government’s Planting for Food and Jobs Programme.

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Some state institutions ignore local producers and import foodstuffs especially rice from abroad citing better quality and taste.

However the Agric Minister said he with this directive he was certain the situation will change.

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