Government temporarily suspends PFJ fertilizers to parts of Upper East
As part of measures to curb the smuggling of fertilizers meant for the Planting for Food and Jobs programme out of the country, government has temporarily halted the supply of subsidized fertilizer to some parts of the Upper East Region.
The affected districts include Bawku Municipal, Garu, Tempane and Pusiga.
Madam Paulina Patience Abayage, the Regional Minister, who made the announcement in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Manga in the Binduri District, said the decision was taken in consultation with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
The Regional Minister said the ban has been extended to some districts in the Upper West and North East Regions.
The Regional Minister said, a meeting would be held with the Ministry of Agriculture in Burkina Faso to solicit their cooperation and support to help curb the concern.
She said the decision is to enable government and the security agencies to map out appropriate modalities to check and prevent the smuggling of fertilizers to neighbouring countries.
The Regional Minister said currently, about four articulated trucks loaded with the PFJs fertilizers have been stopped from being transported to these districts in the Upper East Region, pending the outcome of a meeting to be held with the various Municipal and District Chief Executives.
It would be recalled that last month, two articulated trucks, each loaded with 2,000 bags of 25 kilogrammes of NPK fertilizer meant for the PFJs were impounded at the Paga border in the Kassena-Nanakana West District in the region.
The Regional Minister said the impounded fertilizers have been stored in a warehouse and would be equitably distributed to the various districts and municipalities under the supervision of Chief Executives.
Madam Abayage said the Ministry of Agriculture has revoked the licenses of the importer and the company expected to take full cost of the fertilizers.
The Regional Minister warned that government and the security agencies are committed to ensuring that fertilizers are not smuggled out of the country to neighouring countries like Burkina Faso and Togo.
Source: GNA