Accra, Ghana//-Rising food prices in Ghana and other Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries can be stabilized if the sub-region implements a comprehensive National Food Storage Policies.
To this end, the sub-region is working assiduously to implement and harmonize these policies which are being adopted.
At a two-day National Technical Adoption workshop on National Food Storage Policy and Warehouse Procedure Manual held in Accra recently, an Agric Economist at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) said that the policy is one of the surest ways of stabilizing food prices in Ghana and whole of the sub-region.
Dr Robert Aidoo explained: “If we have a policy of storage and distribution and we are able to store enough food and we are able to distribute it throughout the year, we are going to see stability in food prices.
Because if you look at the prices of maize when we are in the peak period of maize production, prices are so low. Farmers complain all the time that they cannot breakeven. But when we get to the lean season, prices are also so high and consumers also complain because they cannot afford it”.
Dr Aido who is the lead consultant for the policy added: “So if we have storage facilities what we do is that when there is excess in the market you mop it and store. When there is scarcity in the market you bring this one onto the market and then there will be stability in prices. So that consumers are happy and producers (farmers) are also happy”.
“So I think that if the government really pushes up the National Food Storage Policy and pushes resources behind it and we are able to implement it, in the next three to five years, we should see a lot of stability in prices of food in the country”.
Can address food insecurity
Touching on how the policy can help address food insecurity in the country, he noted that some households in Ghana suffer food insecurity in some parts of the year. That is what the policy which was adopted by the technical committee and political engagement seeks to correct.
“Again, if we want to get the most from the population, the population has to have food to eat to enable them to become very strong so that they can contribute to the development of the country”, according to Dr Aidoo.
The of Agric Engineering of the Ministry of Food and Agric (MoFA), Amatus Deyang who represented the sector minister, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, added: “The sudden emergence of COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of food and most importantly the security of it”.
Improving food security
Since the assumption of office of this government, modernizing agric, improving food security and advancing the plight of Ghanaian farmer has been its preoccupation, necessitating the implementation of special initiatives such as the Planting for Food and Jobs whose success according to him has rekindled hope in farming and agribusiness for all.
Mr Deyang reiterated that the government remains committed to ensuring food adequacy in Ghana and would continue to implement programmes and strategies in this regard.
It is equally prepared to work within the framework of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 which focuses explicitly on food by seeking to: “end hunger, achieve food and security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable”, and helping to multiply other goals related to challenges in the food system like SDG1 which focuses on poverty reduction, where agric and food has a key role to play.
Warehouse manual
Presenting an overview of the validate warehouse management procedure manual, a Freelance Consultant in Agribusiness Value Chain, Orleans Nii Chinnery, advised that storage warehouses should not be situated in flood prone areas.
He added that warehouses should be located in areas that have good access roads to enable easy movement and maneuvering of vehicles.
State of NAFCO warehouses
Touching on the state of warehouses being run by the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), the Deputy CEO of NAFCO, said: “When this government took over in 2017, we had about 35,000 metric tonne capacity warehouses available for our operations.
It has now been increased by extra 80,000 through the One District One Warehouse Policy which will enhance our operations”.
That is what we have been doing to make sure that we have food in our warehouses for any emergency”, Mr Amankwah said,
Background
The process to have the National Food Storage Policy and Warehouse Procedure Manual began some few years ago with a sensitization workshop in 2019, a validation workshop in February 2021 and the two stages of the process: the technical adoption and the political engagements were held from 27 to 28 May 2021. The workshop was sponsored by ECOWAS and the European Union.
The National Food Storage Policy is being spearheaded by the NAFCO with MoFA playing a supervisory role.
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, African Eye Report
