Ghana: Over US$2m weekly onion imports worrying  – PFAG

By Wisdom JONNY-NUEKPE Ghana imports 70 percent of its onions – costing some US$2million on a weekly basis – current data from the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) have revealed. A chunk of the imports, PFAG noted, are sourced from Niger, Mali and other countries in the Sahel region. Speaking to B&FT at an Accountability Forum for Political Parties in Accra, Former Executive Director of PFAG, Dr. Charles K. Nyaaba, described the situation as worrying and concerning – saying figures from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture corroborate same. He said although Ghana is appreciably sufficient in some commodities such as cassava, maize, peanut, cabbage, millet, yam and plantain, the country still depends on imports for critical staples such as tomatoes, pepper, onions, rice and poultry. Ghana’s annual food import bill, which is now in excess of over US$2.5billion, PFAG indicates, comprises more than 60 percent rice, poultry and sugar imports. Indeed, tomato import from ...