Ghana Statistical Service to seek more food info from National Food Buffer Stock Company

The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) will soon seek more information on food production in the country from the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFFCO) in order to help the service in determining inflation rates in the country.

The GSS already has a mechanism that collates data on food production in the country.

The Government Statistician, Dr Grace Bediako, made this disclosure during a press conference in Accra on April 13, 2011 when she announced the monthly inflation rate for March. The inflation for March 2011 was 9.13%.

According to Dr Bediako, the Economic Department of the Service, which is in charge of food data, will soon seek for such information after a journalist pleaded with her to get data from NAFFCO since officials there have refused to release information to the media.

NAFFCO has contributed immensely to increasing food production in the country, Minister of Agriculture has said.

In 2010, Ghana’s grain production grew by 6% due to the establishment of NAFFCO which offers farmers a minimum guarantee price at which it will take the farmer’s produce if the market refuses to buy at the normal reasonable market price, the Minister for Food and Agriculture Mr Kwesi Ahwoi said on TV Africa’s programme “Bare Facts” Tuesday February 1, 2011.

By Ekow Quandzie