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Government reimposes levies on rice imports
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot
Government has restored levies and duties which were removed on
the importation of rice and other poultry products in May 2008
ostensibly to cushion Ghanaians on the impact of global food
crisis.
The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Dr. Kwabena
Duffuor revealed this during his presentation of the “2010
Budget Statement” on the Floor of Parliament on Wednesday.
According to him, the removal of the levies “opened up the flood
gate for dumping of foreign food items in the country,” which
made domestic production of fish, chicken and rice largely
uncompetitive.
The levies which will be re-imposed from January 2010 are part
of a larger framework by government to modernize the
agricultural sector which he said can change the face of Ghana’s
development.
“Government will also promote large scale public-private
commercial farming; provide agriculture machinery and equipment
and enhance their distribution; and provide resources to
rehabilitate irrigation schemes, particularly Tono and Vea
Irrigation Schemes and breached dams,” he pledged.
On interventions to the rice and poultry industries, the
Minister mentioned among other things, “inadequate machinery and
equipment;inadequate chemical and fertilizers; and high cost of
production attributable mainly to high interest rates charged by
commercial banks” as some of the major challenges facing the
industries saying the government will put in place the
appropriate interventions to rescue the industry from continued
relapse.
“Government will also assist poultry farmers to acquire
equipment, chicken feed, chemicals, and other inputs to enable
them undertake large scale chicken production in the country.”
He said.
On the cocoa industry, Dr Duffuor said government has set itself
a target of producing 1,000,000 metric tons of cocoa before
2012.
In line with that “Government has directed that bonuses
totalling GH¢50 million for the 2008/2009 main crop season be
paid in two instalments to the farmers: 50% in November 2009 and
the remaining 50% in April-May 2010. Government in October also
provided seed money of GH¢15 million for the establishment of
the Cocoa Farmers Social Security Fund.
He took a swipe at the NPP for allowing a cocoa processing
initiative- CALF cocoa, which would otherwise have employed
hundreds of Ghanaians to “rot”, saying “it is our determination
to support this and other such worthy initiatives to take off
and contribute to the economic growth of the country.
Immediately after the Finance Minister ended his delivery the
MP’s brandished placards with different inscriptions to either
support or impugn the government’s financial statement for 2010.
The minority wielded placards such as “Team B Budget”, “Eeeko
Nyaa Budget” whilst those in the majority in unison showed
“Budget of Growth of Stability” amidst songs of praise for the
government.
Ghanadot
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