Following the exponential rise of inflation in the country, a lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) has questioned the effectiveness of the Planting For Food and Jobs(PFJ) program by the Government of Ghana.
The lecturer was speaking on the worrying rate of inflation in the country in an interview on the Big Issue on Citi Fm ,yesterday, when he posed the question about the PFJ.
Dr. Owusu Sarkodie was concerned about how a large portion of the drivers of inflation in the country was mainly food stuff when Ghana has a program on food which has been running for more than five years.
“Out of the fifteen items that drive inflation in the country, nine are food items and the remaining six are non-food items. That is why you see food inflation rising faster than the none food inflation. And also the imported inflation rising than the local inflation” said Dr. Owusu.
He added that: ‘If you are in a country and you find these simple simple agricultural products: watermelon, pear, grapes, corn dough, maize driving inflation in your country, then the Planting For Food and Jobs programme which has ran for five years is questionable. There are so many questions surrounding that program”.
Some of the items which drive inflation according to the lecturer include some imported ones which are: grapes, diesel, petrol, gas, vegetable oil, and margarine. Some of the local items include: firewood, wheat flour, Avocado pear, Groundnut oil, watermelon, washing soup, maize, corn dough, and charcoal. All if which are inflating at different rates.
The war in Ukraine, Covid-19 recovery, the exchange rate, and the cost of production were considered as the factors contributing to the rise in inflation.
However, the researcher believes that Ghanaians must question the real sectors who are responsible to see to the management of the kind of inflation the country is witnessing.
“There are so many questions surrounding the program (PFJ) that needs to be answered. I wish you could get in touch with the Agric. Minister for him to explain to us. We have heard from the ministry of finance, we have heard from the Central Bank Governor. We want to hear from the real sector players. Mister Minister, what has happened to the Planting For Food and Jobs?” – Dr. Owusu asked during the interview.
“Why do you have a program that has run on for five years and that program is dependent on inputs that are imported from other countries? – quizzed the UG Lecturer
Dr Owusu fears that ‘the last thing we need in this country is food insecurity’. Therefore, he is asking that the attention of the nation should be on the Ministry of Finance, Agriculture, and to the Ministry of Trade.
“So, I think attention now should not be on the Central bank. Yes, the attention should be shifted from the Central Bank to the Ministry of Finance and to the Ministry of Agriculture and to the Ministry of Trade. Those in the real sector, they should be answering those questions”.
