The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has handed over more than 2,750 tonnes of cereals to the Ghana government to boost its school feeding programme under the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
The cereals comprise 1,000 tonnes of maize, 750 tonnes of white rice, 500 tonnes of millet and 500 tonnes of sorghum, which have been stored in the warehouses of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) in Tamale and Yendi in the Northern Region.
The offer became necessary following a request by the government of Ghana to ECOWAS for the cereals under an agreement that Ghana restocks the warehouses by March 2019.
Food Security Reserves
The cereals were stored in the two warehouses in 2017 under the ECOWAS Regional Food Security Reserves to be used in the event of disasters in the sub-region.
The Regional Food Security Reserves was created on February 2013 in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire by ECOWAS Heads of State and Government during their 42nd Ordinary Summit aimed at complementing the efforts of the member states to provide rapid and diversified food and nutrition assistance.
Handover
At a ceremony at the NAFCO warehouse in Tamale to officially hand over the consignment to the government of Ghana, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, Mr Sekou Sangare, explained that the handover was the concrete response of the ECOWAS Commission to the request of the government of Ghana that had committed to replenish grain for grain, the 2,750 tonnes of cereals by March 2019.
“Like the cereal stocks of 6,528 tonnes given to Niger and 4,303 tonnes to Burkina Faso last August, the 2,750 tonnes of cereals to Ghana that constitute the object of our handover ceremony yesterday have all been purchased from small producers of our region,” he explained.
Mr Sangare was hopeful that while offering markets and business opportunities, the Regional Food Security Reserves would allow member countries to quickly express their solidarity to countries whose populations were in dire need of food and nutrition following drought, natural disasters such as floods, landslides among others.
Sincere collaboration
The Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Annual Crops, Dr Sagre Bambangi, stated that with the country’s Planting for Food and Jobs policy, the government would have no problem replacing the stock.
He announced that the government was expanding its warehouse drive by 80,000, assuring that the collaboration entered into between the government and ECOWAS would be strengthened.
Source: Graphiconline.com.gh
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I have been listening to a number of FM stations across the country and it is sad to hear how Adom FM Presenters speak; as if there’s water in their Brians. Instead of condemning the attack of the Muslin Youth on Owusu Bempah’s church for peace to prevail, they are making things worse as if two wrongs make a right. They speak as if they know something better but I wish they could hear themselves after to hear how folly they sound. No wonder decent people like Kofi Adoma & Ohemaa are on their way out.
what is the difference between borrowing with interest to consume and borrowing to feed our children? we must do what it takes to maintain the children free of charge. the funds in the pockets of those parents would be utilesed for other purposes to satisfy the needs of the family. it is like tax relief. congratulations to the Government of Ghana
Did I read somewhere in this article that Ghana made the request for tbe cereal and that we were going to restock by March? God have mercy. We have already started begging our neighbours for food to feed our children. Why is the NPP government doing this to our beloved country. This free SHS thing is not sustainable. First it was the double track system, now we are begging our neighbours for food. What next will it be in September this year whem we have all students supposedly to be enjoying the free SHS. By the way where are we going to get the cereal to replace what we are borrowing now in Match? #CANTTHNIKFAR
the idea of school feeding programme is to encourage local farmers to grow to feed such school. this was the agreement with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Let us not be happy with this gift, its a failure of the system