Concerns are mounting over the government’s school feeding programme after claims that contractors responsible for procuring food supplies ignored local farmers and opted to import produce instead.
Former director of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), Charles Nyaaba, says farmers across the country had prepared to supply rice and maize following a directive from the president encouraging the programme to source food locally.
According to him, the announcement had raised expectations among farmers who anticipated a significant opportunity to supply produce for the initiative.
“We were very excited when we heard the directive that the school feeding programme would buy rice and maize from local farmers. Farmers were ready and waiting,” Nyaaba told JoyNews.
However, he alleged that the contractors assigned to procure the food chose to import the commodities rather than purchase them from farmers.
“They awarded contracts to some people, but instead of buying from farmers, they imported the rice, leaving the farmers out,” he stated.
Nyaaba also questioned the transparency surrounding the procurement process, pointing to the failure of the National Food Buffer Stock Company to disclose the identities of those contracted to mobilise the food supplies.
“We have been engaging the National Food Buffer Stock Company to publish the list of the people they contracted to mobilise the produce, but they have not done so,” he said.
He further claimed that there is no evidence that the agency has purchased produce directly from local farmers for the programme.
According to him, many farmers who had prepared to supply rice and maize were ultimately left without buyers, raising concerns about the programme’s commitment to supporting local agriculture.
