PPP To Strengthen Market For Food Crops - Nduom

Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom - PPP Flagbearer

A government of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) will be committed to the development of food crops through modernisation and creation of market access, the flag bearer of the party, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, has stated.

He said inasmuch as cash crops were important as foreign exchange earners, there would be a big problem if the nation could not feed itself.

Dr Nduom said a PPP administration would depart from the government’s attitude of paying attention to the development of cash crops at the expense of food crops.

Interacting with some members of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) at the PPP headquarters in Accra on Monday, Dr Nduom said his administration would dialogue with farmers and other stakeholders to find solutions to their problems.

Members of the PFAG had sought audience with the PPP flag bearer to share with him some concerns of farmers as captured in a document titled “The Farmers Manifesto for Election 2012 and Beyond”.

The Farmers Manifesto provides elaborate information on how to make agricultural policies work for small holder farmers in Ghana.

Dr Nduom said the PPP would not pretend as though it had solutions to the problems highlighted in the Farmers Manifesto, pointing out that it would rather listen, learn and seek education on the issues so that it would review its own ideas on the agriculture sector.

He lauded the PFAG for the issues raised in the Farmers Manifesto, saying they were very relevant.

Dr Nduom asked the farmers to reflect on why in spite of all the efforts and agreements made in the past to implement change for small holder farmers, they were still confronted with many challenges.

According to him, getting the desired change to improve the lot of peasant farmers required good leadership and that was what he (Nduom) was offering to the nation as a contestant in the December presidential election.

He said the PPP was not the same as the other political parties; neither was he (Nduom) the same as the other political party flag bearers because “the difference is in the track record”.

Dr Nduom said a PPP administration would use the government’s purchasing power to support the private sector to grow and also ensure that all public institutions patronised locally produced food items.

“There is no reason why we should be importing tilapia from China or chicken from any part of the world”, he remarked.

Dr Nduom said his administration would create market access for farmers “because it is only when there is a market that individuals will go the extra length to find money to produce because he believes when he produces there will be a buyer”.

He said there was the need for an integrated development of farming communities to make life comfortable for farmers.

Some members of the PFAG expressed the hope that Dr Nduom would work in the interest of small holder farmers when elected as president in the December election.

The Programme Co-ordinator of PFAG, Madam Victoria Adongo, who led the delegation to the PPP party headquarters, thanked Dr Nduom for granting them audience.