The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has assured the nation that appropriate measures are in place to avert a potential food crisis in the country.

He told Parliament that the measures to forestall food insecurity included a temporary ban on grain (maize, rice, and soya) exports, promoting the use of organic fertilizers on farms and the cultivation of crops such as roots, which require less fertilizer and increased monitoring of food and input prices to pick early warning signals of potential food crisis in order to take prompt remedial action.

He said the rest were the finalization of modalities for the haulage of produce from farm gates in food growing areas to the market centres by the government.

The minister during the presentation of the mid-year budget review said that emergency measures were necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia Ukraine War, which combined to disrupt supply chains and increased transportation costs.

These, he said, are threatening food security globally.

“But, what the people of Ghana care to see is what their government is doing about it to ease the impact here. To enable households and farmers cope and support stable food supply, the Government has taken the following immediate measures:
• place a temporary ban on grain (maize, rice, and soya) exports;
• promote the use of organic fertilizers and cultivation of crops such as roots, which require less fertilizer;
• monitor food and input prices to pick early warning signals of potential food crisis in order to take prompt remedial action; and
• finalize modalities for the haulage of produce from farm gates in food growing areas to the market centres,” the minister said.

He also announced plans to increase investments in agriculture as well as support the youth to start agri-related businesses to help boost productivity while creating jobs.