Maize in abundance but prices high- dealers refutes Akufo-Addo's claim

Dealers in maize in the Sunyani in some parts of the Bono Region have given a rebuttal account to President Nana Akufo Addo’s claims on the availability of maize in the country as he says it has seen a percentage increase of 110%.

In his 2021 State of the Nation Address, the President said “we have for the first time in a long while, become a net exporter of food as opposed to the days of importation of tomatoes and plantain” he said.

This the President added “as a result of the policy ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’, among other policies, maize, and rice yields have gone up by about 110% and 48% respectively.

The President however indicated that the Agriculture sector was the only sector that recorded a growth rate in the third quarter of 2020. It recorded a Gross Domestic Product of 8.3%. With the exception of the Forestry and Logging sub-sector that contracted, all the other sub-sectors expanded in growth in quarter three 2020.

Whilst, the Fishing sub-sector expanded by 20.4%, the crops sub-sector grew by 9.0% in the third quarter of 2020.

However, Soiree News checks from the various maize markets in the Bono Region indicated that even though maize is in abundance at the various warehouses the prices continue to be high. From the warehouses, a 100kg bag is sold between Ghc220 and Ghc250.

In an engagement with some of the maize dealers, they indicated that the period for maize shortage that leads to importation to the country which is between April and May is not yet in so they will not be able to disprove or approve the president’s claim that the country may not import maize into the country.

 Nana  Ama Asiedu, Bono Region