80% of diseases caused by meat bacteria

Mr Clement K. Humado, Minister of Food and Agriculture has noted that 80 per cent of diseases are caused by meat bacteria due to mishandling of the product by butchers.

He called on the Ministry of Health to collaborate with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to help check the unhygienic handling and selling of meat in the markets and other places.

He said MOFA would meet with the Food and Drugs Authority to sign a Memorandum of Understanding so that agriculture officers in the districts are allowed to supplement their efforts in enforcing the food and drugs law.

Mr Humado made the observation on Thursday when he visited the Johnny’s Food and Meat Complex (J’FAMCO), which comprises an abattoir, cold store, warehouse and wholesale of agricultural commodities at Madina Estate in Accra.

He said checking of sanitation in the abattoirs and markets is the responsibility of the assemblies and called on the personnel to be up and doing and also ensure that they enforce bye-laws to stop people who use car tyres to singe animals.

He said he was impressed with the J’FAMCO facility, particularly of its clean environment and commended the owners for their bold decision in investing in the company.

The minister stated that in the foreseeable future, the ministry would organize a meeting with the embassies of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to have discussions on how they could bring their cattle to the border points of Ghana for onward transportation to supply them to the abattoirs.

Mr Humado suggested to the managers of J’FAMCO to come out with a poultry line that could process and package birds in smaller parts to meet the pocket of the ordinary man, which would also go a long way in reducing the importation of chicken parts.

Mr John Ata Agyekum, Chief Executive of J’FAMCO said the company could survive if only the Ministry would provide it the needed support.

He appealed to the Ministry to facilitate grants and credit for the company to complete the main abattoir.

Mr Kojo Wilson, Operations Director called on the government to streamline the procedures for exemptions from import and Value Added Tax duties on machinery relating to the operations of the company and enforcement of the improvement of slaughter-house and meat vendor shops standards.

Mr Alhassan Baco of the Madina Butcher’s Association enumerated lack of electricity, water, police harassment, importation of meat and frequent increases of prices of liquefied gas as some of their challenges and called on the government to help reverse the trend.