Dr Godfred Seidu Jasaw, the Deputy Ranking Member on the Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs Committee of Parliament, has criticized the government's immediate ban on grain exports in response to the severe drought affecting eight regions of Ghana.
He believes that the ban is hasty and will not help alleviate the impact of the drought on food security in the country. Dr. Jasaw pointed out that the banned grains - maize, cowpea, and rice - are currently being imported into the country.
On the other hand, Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong stated at a press briefing on Monday, August 26, 2024, that the export ban is intended to stabilize food supplies within the country.
He emphasized that the ban will remain in place until the situation improves as part of broader measures to mitigate the impact of the dry spell on agriculture and food security.
“The grains that the government has announced the ban on are grains we don’t even export. At the moment we are importing maize already. We have shortages of maize in the system. Poultry farmers are not getting maize, so if you look at the price of a bag of maize now, it is about GHC1000.00 to GHC1200, up from a few weeks ago when it was selling at GHC400.00. It means that they are not even in the system,” said Mr Jasaw.
He mentioned that Ghana imports tomatoes, onions, and other products, including small ruminants, from neighboring countries. He believed that Ghana should have engaged in broader consultation with these countries before announcing the ban. Mr Jasaw pointed out that if these countries responded by banning the export of these products to Ghana, it would have severe consequences for the country's economy.
Dr Jasaw referenced Ghana's position as a key player in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a landmark agreement promoting intra-African trade. He then posed a critical question: What becomes of Ghana's commitments under AfCFTA and other international treaties in light of the Agric Minister's recent ban announcement?
“If you look at the ban in my opinion is a knee jack reaction and that would have dire consequences for this country and the economy of this country. So, in principle, I think is a rush reaction and shouldn’t be tolerated.”
He further mentioned that the investment in government’s flagship programs like the Planting for Food and Jobs Program which should have produced enough food for the country.
“In the last seven years (7) as a country, we have invested GHC3.2 billion on a flagship programme called Planting for Food and Jobs, that programme is supposed to produce food for us. In the same seven years we’ve invested in one district- one warehouse, in the same seven years we invested in one village and one- dam, and now just 8 weeks of no rain, see the way we are panicking. Ask yourself what has actually happened to those investments. Why are they not cushioning us to withstand this 8-week drought we are facing as a country?”
Mr. Jasaw emphasized that banning the export of grains is not a guarantee that there will be enough food. He suggested that the government should have been assuring Ghanaians that there is sufficient food in the buffer stock instead of implementing a ban on grain exports. According to him, the government does not have a strategic buffer stock to provide food to the country and that is bringing about the reaction.
Dr. Jasaw recommends that the government's immediate measure should have been to buy up the stocks of grains from farmers at competitive prices. He said that this way, the farmers would sell the grains to the government.
“First of all, farmers are rational people, including me; I am a farmer, and I still have some maize I harvested last year. So farmers still have some stocks from last year's harvest and because of your investment, you are looking for the best price to sell your produce.”
“The government's immediate measure should have been to look at the existing prevailing prices of grains and match up the prices. In that way, the farmers will sell to you and you can hold a strategic buffer for your country,” he added.
He also noted that the government should have set a competitive price between now and November so that when farmers harvest their produce, government can hold the produce so that no market over competes with the government.
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