Another Twist to the Quality Grain Scam

- Farmers' 50m cedis given to quality grain

The Independent carries that the Ministry of Agriculture in March this year, released 50 million cedis from the National Farmers Day accounts to pay workers and security guards of Quality Grain Company from February to May 2001.

"An advance payment of 25 million cedis was released to the company on March 16 this year, for the payment of workers salaries which had been arrears' since February 2001," reports the paper. The rest of the money was expected to be used to pay security guards who would be at post to guard equipment and offices of the company from March till May 2001.

In a letter to the Minister of Agriculture on 28th February 2001 and signed by Ruth Frances Croffie, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Quality Grain, where the advance request was made, the company stated categorically that "An exact date of payment cannot be given because of the company's ongoing restructuring".

However, payment of this advance with its interest, according to the CEO, will be made from proceeds from their next production.

The Ministry however acknowledged receipt of the said letter on March 1, 2001 and acting upon the instructions of the sector Minister Major (rtd) Courage Quarshiegah, Dr. S.K. Dapaah, the Chief Director forwarded the loan application to Mr S. Welbecck, the Acting Director of the Agriculture Development Bank, Cedi House, for the processing of the loan agreement.

The Aveyime Quality Rice project has come under public surveillance since news broke out that the main investor, Juliet Cotton was asked to pay 7.2 million dollars by the Gwinnet County jury in the US for misappropriating funds meant for the project.