Dr Afriyie Akoto engaging in book agric’, doesn’t understand issues – Tomatoes cargo drivers

The President of Tomatoes Cargo drivers association in Kumasi, Kwaku Antwi, says truck drivers who carry food from the various hinterlands cannot be blamed for food hikes in the county.

Speaking on Kumasi-based radio station Ultimate FM and monitored by MyNewsGh Mr. Antwi wondered why some people including even the Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto believe middle men and truck drivers are exaggerating the situation.

He said until the country takes seriously its agricultural sector situations of food hikes and shortage will always be on hand.

Citing the challenges, they go through to cart tomatoes from Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso to Ghana, Mr. Antwi was worried with all the arable lands in Ghana, the country still imports tomatoes and other food produce from those places.

“You see our leaders don’t understand what is happening in the system, I am not here to do politics but I can tell you that our Agric Minister is doing book agriculture, we are not serious with farming in this country”

“We travel to Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso to bring tomatoes into this country, we have lands but we can’t farm, we have destroyed all our lands because of galamsey,” he said.

“Why won’t food be expensive, when we are going to bring the tomatoes, we buy four drums of disease to and fro, how much is that, we are spending so much of fuel to bring the food so definitely it will be expensive. I buy sometimes 200 thousand cedis of diesel now, how can we survive”

Mr. Antwi is warning that unless we become serious and consistent with our commitments in agriculture the situation will be worse.

“If you go to Burkina, they take irrigation seriously, they farm with commitment but here everything is politics for us”

“I am willing to take some of you on a trip to the farmlands where we go for food, you will understand what I am saying” he said.

“I have heard the agric minister says the ministry will deploy trucks to cart food to market centres that will not solve the problem, won’t they use petrol too, let’s be serious with these things”

Ghana has seen hikes in food prices on many markets, with some accusations being directed at middle men and cargo drivers who cart the food stuff from farm yards.

Food inflation is at an all-time high, a situation that was experienced almost two decades ago.

The country’s Agric Ministry intends to correct the situation by making available vehicles to move produce from farms to the various markets to minimize cost, so food could be affordable on most market shelves and stalls in the country.