The Press Secretary to the Minister for Food and Agriculture has rebuffed claims that the Minister is not doing enough to ensure payment of suppliers contracted by the Ministry to supply fertilisers under the government’s flagship Planting for Food and Jobs programme.
Issah Alhassan argues that it will be unfair on the part of any individual or group to suggest that the Minister is responsible for the inability of government to settle debts owed suppliers of the ministry.
“It will be like suggesting that the Roads Minister or for that matter any other Minister should be blamed for delay in payment of services rendered to their ministries on behalf of government” He noted, adding that the Minister, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, is working hard to ensure that suppliers of good and services are paid.
“We know no one stands to take credit more than the Minister himself if suppliers are paid on time and fertilisers are made available timely for farmers, so why would he in any stretch of imagination even think of sabotaging payment” He said.
Responding to a discussion on Peace FM flagship Kokrokoo show last Friday, Issah Alhassan explains that just like any other ministry, the agric ministry is also part of an institution of government and therefore follows laid down procedures in procureement and payments of goods and services.
“We know the Finance Ministry is responsible for issuing funds for payment of all government contractors so if today the Ministry makes cash available for payment of suppliers, the Minister has no authority or whatsoever to say he won’t pay them” he noted, stressing that the Honourable Minister is deeply worried about the situation.
It is also important to remind everyone about the challenges government has had to deal since the advent of covid-19, in terms of generating adequate revenue for statutory payments so its really a difficult time we find ourselves.
“Minister shares the pains of these suppliers; remember he himself was on record last year to have openly expressed concern about the development. Why then would anyone suggest he is not doing enough to help the situation”
“It is public knowledge that one of the cardinal objectives of PFJ is making fertilisers available to farmers at affordable cost and that is what have been doing since 2017 so what does the Minister stand to gain if he sabotages the processes leading to the fulfilment of this objective” He emphasised
“How do you think the country managed to achieve all these successes in the agricultural sector through the PFJ since 2017; its because there has been regular supply of inputs such as seeds and fertilisers, so how can the Minister not feel worried about the ongoing development and the fact that we are unable to pay our suppliers?”
Global Challenges in acquisition of inorganic fertilisers
The Press Secretary further noted that it will be surprising for anyone who has knowledge in the fertiliser value chain not to appreciate the current global challenges, as far as fertiliser production and supply is concerned.
“We know Russia and Ukraine together are responsible for the production and supply of more than 50% of inorganic fertilisers. In fact the challenge with fertiliser didn’t even start at the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it started somewhere in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic when most production outlets where forced to shutdown, leading to shortage of supply” He explained.
He added “take freight cost for example, duties have quadrupled since covid-19 outbreak and it has gotten worst since the Russia-Ukraine conflicts”
Mr. Issah Alhassan further stated that currently suppliers are not getting the commodity even to buy on the market and the little that are available are so expensive that it’s not economically prudent to even engage in its supply.
“You can ask those who are not on government contract and are selling on the open markets if they are available to import the product into the country; they cannot because prices have hit rooftop and most countries have also banned exports”
