PFJ is a fiasco- Minority claims as importers of Niger onions are stranded

The Minority in Parliament says the implementation of the Planting for Food and Jobs policy is a complete failure for the country as food items captured under the programme are still being imported in larger quantities.

The criticism from the minority follows the news that some Ghanaian onion importers are stranded at the Benin border due to the coup d’état in Niger.

As to why onions are still being imported rather than depending on those produced in Ghana, the importers claim Niger onions are larger in size and the taste is far different from those being harvested in Ghana.

The Ranking Member on the Food and Agriculture Committee of Parliament, Eric Opoku in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Citi said the government has indeed failed on Planting for Food and Jobs.

According to him, vegetables captured under the PFJ are still being imported in large quantities.

“It is obvious that we are not able to produce enough onions in Ghana to meet the demand here. So, we import a lot of onions from Niger. We spend over $100 million annually to import onions and ginger to support local production. The coup in Niger and the subsequent closure of the borders are seriously affecting the traders.”

“I have already said that the Planting for Food and Jobs programme has been a monumental failure. We invested so much in the programme, but we achieved nothing. All the items that were captured under the programme, we are still importing in larger quantities,” Eric Opoku said.

Meanwhile, onion sellers at major market centres in Accra have indicated that prices of onions have increased due to the challenges they are facing currently.

The importers have appealed to President Akufo Addo to intervene in their situation due to the fear of losing the money invested in the onions now stuck at the Benin border.