GUTA bemoans sale of foodstuffs at Agric Ministry

President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), Dr Joseph Obeng, has bemoaned the sale of foodstuff at the Agric Ministry.

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has begun the direct sale of foodstuffs at its premises.

The food items which were initially sold to only civil and local government workers have been opened to the general public.

According to the Ministry, the foodstuffs will be sold at controlled prices.

The move is aimed at cushioning Ghanaians and mitigating the impact of rising food prices.

Before the sale begun, the Agric Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto reiterated government’s intention to transport food from the rural production areas to Accra in a bid to deal with rising food inflation.

The members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) who seem displeased with the development have expressed their frustrations.

Speaking in an interview with the host of Atinka FM’s AM Drive, the President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), Dr Joseph Obeng said the sale of the foodstuffs at the Agric Ministry is unfair to traders in general.

Dr Joseph Obeng asked the Ministry to consider adding a system to add value to the foodstuffs to make the program sustainable.

He described the comparison of prices at the Ministry of Agric and the various markets as unfair.

“These are market women who travel miles and pick over 5 cars to go and get foodstuffs at reasonable prices for the consuming public.” These women lose their capital in the process because when the vehicles conveying the foodstuffs get stuck in the course of the journey, the foodstuffs start to decay. “It’s unfair to compare the prices at the Ministry considering the fact that the Ministry already has vehicles and a proper transport system to convey the foodstuffs,” Dr. Joseph Obeng told Kaakyire Ofori Ayim.