Expectations of President-elect John Dramani Mahama continue to rise, as the agribusiness players are the latest to make demands on the president-in-waiting.
Among a number of demands, the agricultural sector players are calling on Mr. Mahama to ensure that food prices in the country are reduced drastically.
This demand comes amidst rising inflation which is mainly driven by soaring food prices. The latest Ghana Statistical Service data reveals that inflation for November 2024 continued an upward surge to 23% fuelled by food inflation and hence worsening living standards for low-income earners as purchasing power declines.
In a statement cited by The High Street Journal, players in the agricultural sector, including the Chamber of Agribusiness, Vegetable Producers and Exporters Association, and Ghana Rice Inter-Professional Body, among others, congratulated Mr. Mahama on emerging the winner of the 2024 Presidential Elections.
With a new dawn for the country’s governance, these sector players believe it is time for the new government to prioritize measures that will ensure that the cost of food is brought down for the benefit of Ghanaians.
These policies, the sector players recommended, should target agricultural inputs, and food production among others. To this end, they called on President Mahama to invest in agricultural infrastructure, irrigation systems, and transportation networks to make the agricultural sector effective and efficient.
The group urged Mr. Mahama to “take immediate steps to reduce the general cost of food prices in the country through deliberate policies to reduce the cost of agricultural inputs, and food production and to better the lives of the poor citizens.”
They added that the government must also “invest in agricultural infrastructure, including irrigation systems, storage facilities, and transportation networks, to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the sector.”
The sector players further indicated their readiness to further engage and subsequently work with the President-Elect and his administration to achieve the national vision and create a prosperous and sustainable agricultural and Agro-Industry sector in Ghana.
