CPP rubbishes Land-for-politicians decision

The Convention?s People Party-CPP has rubbished government?s decision to encourage ministers of state and MPs to go into farming by providing them with lands and financial support.

Government says the initiative will give a certain measure of respectability to farming and boost food production.

But the CPP?s General Secretary, Nii Noi Dowuona disagrees.

?It is unfortunate the minister of state for Private Sector will link respectability to farming, that they want agric sector to gain by MPs and minister getting involved in farming is unfortunate because we deem it as an insult to very respectable people who have been and are still in agricultural production,? he said.

Professor Dowuona says government should rather support people who are already engaged in farming.

? The focus should not be on ministers and MPs going into agriculture. It should be plain: that the state will provide the necessary credit and resources to enable anybody to go into agriculture especially those who are already in the system and who for one reason or the other have given up on production because there is no ready market, unfair trade practices, mass importation of virtually everything that we consume.

These are fundamental things that they need to tackle and not just asking minister and MPs to go into farming. I think it really delight a point,? he said.