Former Deputy Minister of Sports, Joseph Yamin, has revealed that government through the Agric Ministry has imported maize seeds from neighboring Nigeria for the second planting season of government’s flagship program, planting for food and jobs.
According to Mr. Yamin, information available to him indicates that large quantities of maize seeds have been imported into the country and stored at a warehouse in Kumasi for distribution to beneficiaries of the program.
Although he is unable to tell when the seeds were imported into the country, he is of the view that the move could have been triggered by government’s inability to pay local producers their monies owed them since the inception of the program.
Speaking to Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa FM Tuesday, Mr. Yamin said “Last year when the NPP came into power, till now, the seeds that the agric ministry collected from the seed producers for their planting for food policy has not been paid for. So in the course of the program, I don’t know whether the agric ministry will come to tell us, the seeds have not yielded for them to pay back the producers or if it has yielded, then why haven’t they been paid?” he questioned.
He however questioned the rational behind the importation of maize seeds while the country is currently not in short of it.
“Today, there is no shortage of seeds for the planting in the country but we are reliably informed that the agric minister who haven’t paid the seed producers has imported seeds from Nigeria for the second planting season. Our checks also indicates that, there is a large farm in Kumasi which they have use as a warehouse to store the maize” he said.
The move by the ministry is an attempt to sidestep local seed producers and also collapse the local industry which will in effect render several others jobless, Mr. Yamin said.
He has therefore call on government to desist from such importation and also see to the payment of the monies they owe local seed producers.
By: Alex Semordzi
