New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential hopeful Kennedy Agyapong has asserted that the lack of prioritisation of agriculture is one of the reasons Ghana is having challenges in its development process.
According to him, the country has wrongly placed all of its hopes in royalties from the exploration of mineral resources like gold and has failed to recognise how agriculture can help transform the country.
Agyapong, who made these remarks as he was filing his nomination for the NPP flagbearership race on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, said that if Ghana focuses on the cultivation and processing of cassava only, the country would be transformed in no time.
“Unfortunately, we believe gold is the ultimate, but I think otherwise. I personally believe that cassava is more important than gold. Cassava is a necessity, and gold is a luxury. Sugarcane is a necessity and gold is a luxury, palm is a necessity and gold is a luxury.
“I visited the Ministry of Agriculture of Thailand, and they displayed 32 different products from Cassava alone, from biscuits to starch all the way to ethanol. We use maize for ethanol; we use maize for corn oil; what are we doing in this country?” he said.
Ken, who is the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, also bemoaned the fact that most of the manufacturing firms in Ghana are owned by foreigners who import resources from their home countries for production.
“We [are] here in Ghana and Malaysia have bought Unilever Company, and import palm oil from Malaysia to manufacture Frytol oil and soap. What is wrong with us as people?” he quizzed.
The presidential hopeful added that the only way prices of food items in Ghana would be stable is if the country broke its dependence on imports and produced at least all of its basic needs.
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