Ministry official accuses Esoko of thwarting Planting for Food and Jobs initiative

Mr Akaare Damian, the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture(MOFA), has expressed unhappiness with the role being played by Esoko, a Non Governmental Organisation(NGO) in the area.

He said the organisation was contracted by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), to undertake field measurements activities under the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative.

Mr Damian alleged that the South African NGO was illegally registering interested farmers who were not listed or approved by the Ministry for the field measurement of interested farmers.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Dormaa Ahenkro he said Esoko was not going by the list given to it by MOFA for the measurement of field lands for valid and interested farmers.

This, he said, run contrary to the directives issued by the sector Ministry and the mode for selecting the farmers.

The Deputy Director explained that they had met with officials of the NGO to discuss how they will go about undertaking the field measurement and other related subjects and an agreement is yet to be reached.

When contacted Mr Emmanuel Baah Yeboah, a Supervisor and Enumerator with the NGO, refuted claims that the NGO was not going by the list of approved farmers registered by MOFA for the measurement of their fields.

He said they were additionally mandated by the sector Ministry to register those interested farmers in the various communities on the basis that they would follow the various registration procedures outlined by the Ministry.

Source: GNA