Current food production not enough to feed Ghanaians for one month – GAWU
Ghana’s current food production is said to be inadequate to feed Ghanaians for a whole month without being supplemented with food imports.
According to the Ghana Agricultural Workers Union, there is an issue of food security in the country as a lot of food items are imported rather than produced in the country.
Speaking in an interview on the ongoing geopolitical tension between Russia and Ukraine on food supply in Ghana on Monday May 16, General Secretary of the Ghana Agricultural Workers Union, Edward Kareweh said, “The realty is that we do not have enough food in this country. The reality is that we import so much into this country. So if there is a problem in those countries you import those problems.”
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) announced on Wednesday May 11 that the national year-on-year inflation rate was 23.6% in April 2022, which is 4.2 percentage points higher than the 19.4% recorded in March 2022.
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The month-on-month inflation between March 2022 and April 2022 was 5.1%, the GSS said on Wednesday May 12.
Four Divisions, Transport, Household equipment and Routine Maintenance, Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels, recorded inflation rates above the national average of 23.6% with Transport, 33.5%, recording the highest inflation.
This month’s food inflation, 26.6%, is higher than both last month food inflation, 22.4% and the average of the previous 12 months 13.5%. Food inflation’s contribution to total inflation however, decreased from 51.4% in March 2022 to 50.0% in April 2022.
The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta attributed this to imports.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Thursday May 12, Mr Ofori-Atta said, “Today, 41 African economies are severely exposed to, at least, one of three concurrent crisis, rising food prices, rising energy prices, tightening financial conditions Finance Ministers now call it the dreaded three Fs; Food, fuel and financial conditions.
“That is just a ripple through in all Africa, and food prices easily about 34 per cent higher, crude oil prices some 60 per cent higher and global inflation has risen , we saw our numbers yesterday moved to 23.6 per cent, a good chunk of it being imported inflation.”
