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Let’s help arrest smuggling of fertilizer – Prez Akufo-Addo

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President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo has appealed to chiefs in the upper East region to collaborate with the law enforcement agencies to stop the smuggling of fertilizers meant for Planting for Food and Jobs Programme.

Launching the Planting for Food and Jobs” programme in April this year, President Akufo-Addo announced the programme was expected to increase the production of maize by 30 per cent; rice by 49 per cent; soybeans by 25 per cent; and sorghum by 28 per cent from current production levels. He said the programme was expected to create 750,000 jobs in both direct and indirect employment.

However, there have been media reports in the Upper East Region about the smuggling of fertilizers meant for the programme. It was against this background that the president on day one of his working visit to the Upper East Region Wednesday appealed to the chiefs to collaborate with the law enforcement agencies to bring the menace under control.

He said across the country, the farming communities have received unprecedented, adequate stocks of fertilizers and insecticides for their planting. “My hope is that, this programme will go up to 500,000 next year and by the time of the end of my tenure of office in 2021, two and half million Ghanaian farmers will benefit from the programme, Planting for Food and Jobs.”

“There is one aspect of this programme that I need the support of you the eminent traditional rulers. All of us know that whenever something good is happening in this world, there is always a few greedy, evil people who will want to subvert the good things for their personal selfish gains. I refer to those who are smuggling fertilizer across the borders to make money because the fertilizer in Ghana is now so cheap. I need your help, I need the help of you and your communities to keep an eye out and cooperate with the law enforcement agencies to stop the smuggling.” The president stated.

President Nana Addo was emphatic that the law will deal with anyone caught in smuggling fertilizers stressing that: “It is important we don’t allow a few people to spoil the good things for the majority of us.”

On arrival Wednesday October 4, the president was briefed by the Regional Minister, Rockson Ayine Bukari at his official residence before addressing the chiefs and people of the region at the St. John’s Park in Bolgatanga. He also visited the regional hospital in Bolgatanga where he inspected expansion works at the hospital where he expressed satisfaction about the level of quality work being done as he was briefed by the consultant, engineers and management of the hospital on progress of work.

Source: TopNewsGhana.com

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