Covid-19: Ghana to face food crisis if it does not act immediately – GAWU
March 24, 2020
The General Secretary of the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), Mr Edward Kareweh says Ghana may be hit with a food crisis if it does not deal with the issue of food shortages that is starring it in the face.
According to him, the country does not have a food stock to avert any possible famine that may occur should the covid-19 pandemic prolong.
“Very soon we will realise the reality as to whether they can release those stock for us to bring down the prices and also make the food available”, he said.
Certainly, Mr Kareweh adds, “we are going to run into crisis if we are unable to deal with the situation immediately”.
He made the observation while contributing to a discussion on the ‘Business Focus’ television show on TV3, last Monday, March 23, 2020,
Food price hikes
The outbreak of the covid-19 disease has brought many robust economies to their knees as it has resulted in the suspension of many economic activities and Ghana’s is no exception.
The situation has also brought about fear in the system with many people engaging in panic-buying.
This has also resulted in the prices of goods, particularly food items and hand sanitizers sky-rocketing in markets, as the traders are taking advantage of the sudden demand for those items to make more money for themselves.
Many agric experts have predicted that the country would be hit with a food shortage should the coronavirus prolong for more than necessary due to the panic-buying that is currently happening in the system.
However, some other experts are also of the view that country’s buffer stock company could be relied upon to flood the system with enough food items to contain the situation should it get to that point.
But commenting on the preparedness of the buffer stock company relative to food security for the country, the GAWU General Secretary said the company does not have enough stock to curtail the possible food shortage that may hit the country.
He said, this is because the country has not organized itself adequately in the area of food security to forestall such eventualities.
Ghana’s recorded cases
Ghana has so far recorded 27 active cases with two reported deaths.
The Government has rolled up a number of measures, including the close down of its borders and airports, ban on large social gatherings, mandatory self-quarantine for all returnees from outside the country, among others, to contained the situations.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly has also taken a cue from the President’s directives and has embarked on a mass fumigation exercise in the markets under it’s control to prevent the possible spread of the virus in the country.
