Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku has disclosed that several pickup vehicles donated by the Canadian government in 2021 to support agricultural extension services were auctioned less than four years after they were deployed.
The vehicles were acquired under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme to improve the mobility of district directors and agricultural extension officers, enabling them to provide technical support and advisory services to farmers across the country.
Appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Assurances, Mr. Opoku said ministry records show that many of the vehicles, which were procured during the first term of the previous administration through a Ghana-Canada agricultural support arrangement, had been disposed of before 2024.
“Some vehicles were procured under the Ghana Canadian Farming support arrangement which was captured as a baby of the Planting for Food and Jobs, but before 2024, most of the vehicles have been auctioned,” he said.
“Our records indicate that they were procured sometime in the first term of the past government and then before 2024 most of them have been auctioned,” he added.
The Minister said the disposal of the vehicles has created significant logistical difficulties for the Ministry, with many district officers currently lacking official transport to carry out their duties.
“As we speak, we don’t have vehicles for most of our District Officers. The motorbikes we are giving out is for extension service delivery,” he told the committee.
He said the Ministry is exploring ways to secure additional resources to purchase new vehicles for district officers and improve service delivery to farming communities.
“We are now thinking about how your committee and Parliament can support the Ministry to mobilize enough resources to procure vehicles for District Officers,” Mr. Opoku stated.
The Food and Agriculture Minister also informed the committee that he would later submit a detailed report on the auction process.
