Daniel Kwame Gariba, the DCE for the Builsa South District of the Upper East Region had shrugged off claims that rice farmers in the area are unable to sell off huge stockpiles of rice due to the unavailability of market.
Again, the DCE laughed off claims that farmers in the area do not have enough storage facilities to keep their produce.
Mr Gariba explained that such comments emanate from political opponents who are farmers in the area. He added that such comments are just to make the government unpopular but do not represent the situation on the ground.
He said this when he spoke on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show.
“We have made it a point to let farmers; especially the commercial farmers, know that the facilities are available for use. What I have noticed is that, the farmers after harvest usually want immediate cash. Some of them are not able to pay for combine harvester services so it is after they have sold their produce that they are able to pay for the services.”
“Anybody that is talking about marketing, they are not from Builsa South. In 2018, when the issue of marketing came up, it was tackled head-on. The National Buffer Stock Company, together with the Ministry [of Food and Agricultue] and SAPIP came, brought stakeholders together and we created a market.”
“Once the farming starts, people come from all over the country to the farm gate to buy from them,” he said.
The DCE continued to say that “I am hearing for the first time that people have piles of rice and cannot sell it. No such information has come to my attention. There are people available to buy the rice, those piling the rice are doing it for their own reason.”
Mr Gariba called on the media to challenge the farmers who make such comments and hold them to strict proof.
“Do not forget that some of our farmers are politicians. I know a number of them who farm there and are politicians on the other side of the divide. If you want him to give you a favourable comment about this government, you would not have it. The best way is to put them to strict proof,” he said.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
