MoFA pledges to check smuggling of maize, soyabean following restriction on grains exportation
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has pledged to intensify its efforts to check the smuggling of maize and other grains to other countries.
This follows government’s restriction on the export of maize and soya beans to ensure food security and increase local poultry and livestock production.
The General Secretary of the General Agricultural Workers Union, Edward Kareweh, although lauded the new directive, expressed doubt over the government’s ability to successfully monitor all borders to prevent smuggling of the grains.
“If it becomes necessary that you should not let your produce go out through exports for the purported domestic consumption and industrial use, that is welcome. What we may be worried about is whether or not government can enforce this ban because if for the reason that government is unable to police our porous borders to stop smuggling of fertilizer and other items, how can the government be able to police and ensure that no export of maize and soyabean?”
The government however, insists the implementation of this new policy is a priority to national security.
Yaw Frimpong Addo tells Citi Business News all hands are on deck to make sure anyone caught flaunting the new directive will be punished.
“This policy is a cabinet policy whose enforcement is being done not only by MoFA but Ministries of Trade and Industry, Interior, Defense. It is a national security issue and they are coordinating all these things so we reduce smuggling to the barest minimum. Until the policy is reviewed, no one can export maize and soya. So we should rest assured that the national security is in full gear and are going to stop anyone that flaunts that directive.”
Food security in Ghana has become a pertinent issue for several months now, with stakeholders warning of food shortage if the problem is not solved.
While the government has consistently touted the progress made in the agriculture sector due to its interventions, issues such as a lack of access to poultry feed, fertilizer, and rising food prices, which is reflected in Ghana’s high food inflation, have got stakeholders in the sector concerned.
In order to address these issues, government has restricted the exportation of two of the country’s important commodities, soya bean and maize from the country.
Already, the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate has stopped issuing phytosanitary certificates for the export of both commodities.
The directive restricts Ghana’s export of maize and soybean to Niger, Sierra Leone, the Republic of Congo, the United Kingdom, Qatar, the United States, Italy and Canada.
Source: Ghana Business
