Flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has lashed out at the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) for collapsing the poultry industry after taking over the government.
The flag bearer says the government has refused to control importation of poultry into the country because cronies and financiers of their party are into poultry importation, the reason it has given them the room to collapse the local enterprises.
Speaking at a public engagement at Wenchi in the Bono region as part of his ‘Building Ghana’ tour, the former President outlined the mechanisms adopted by the NDC government to protect the local producers, and assured the return of his party to power will be the game-changer for the local farmers.
He added four other commodities that are imported into the country which his government will ensure massive production locally to protect the interest of Ghanaian businesses.
“In Ghana, we spend over US$2 billion to import items like poultry, rice, oil, sugar, tomatoes into the country. But these are things we could produce on our own. So we need to support our local poultry producers to cut down on the imported ones.
“During the time of the NDC, before one could import poultry into the country, it was a requirement to make some purchases from the local producers first before you’ll be allowed to import.
“That reduced the foreign poultry in the Ghana. But this government has opened the leeway for everyone to import, increasing the foreign ones in the country. Most of the NPP apparatchiks who are financiers of the party are into poultry importation and that’s why they don’t want to control it.
“We [the NDC] are not poultry importers and our main concern is the poultry farmers in Ghana so whatever it would take to safeguard their businesses, when the NDC return, we’ll sit with you and work out things to bring progress to your businesses,” he assured.
READ ALSO: Supreme Court dismisses Ken Kuranchie’s suit against Mahama
