Small holder women farmers in nine regions of the country have accused the Akufo-Addo administration of politicising its Rearing for food and jobs policy.
The women farmers at the 3rd annual national women farmers’ conference in Accra said identification of beneficiaries under the rearing for food and jobs has taken a partisan face making it difficult for them to access it.
They explained that only a little above 30 percent of women farmers are able to meet the housing requirement of the Programme.
“Government should take immediate steps to halt the current partisan selection of beneficiaries under the rearing for food and jobs Programme; ensuring the provision of opportunity to all women, regardless of party affiliations. We, hereby endorse an open and just selection process with the involvement of the District Women Farmers Movement”
President of the women farmers, Veronica Gbande said
The ministry of food and agriculture has dared the small holder women to provide evidence of the claim.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture in charge of Crop, Dr Sagre BamBangi said “the ministry is not partisan in the implementation of the rearing for food and jobs program. If anybody has specific evidence on it then you report to the nearest authority and if action is not taken then you can climb the lather up to the ministry and the minister will deal with it.
“I wish they can point to us a specific case and if they had done that they will make our work easier but if we are to set up an investigation team to deal with it, then it’s going to be another matter,” BamBangi said in a reaction.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo lanched the social intervention programme, “Rearing for Food and Jobs’’ in the Upper West Region to boost animal production and create additional job opportunities.
The initiative is expected to assist about 510 livestock farmers in the beneficiary communities in cockerels, guinea-fowl and sheep rearing.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Daniel Lartey