General News of Tuesday, 2 March 2021

Source: 3news.com

Concerned Farmers to demonstrate against NDC for rejecting Agric Minister-designate

Food and Agriculture Minister-designate, Owusu Afriyie Akoto Food and Agriculture Minister-designate, Owusu Afriyie Akoto

Members of a group calling itself Concerned Farmers Association have threatened to embark on massive demonstration against the Minority group in Parliament for rejecting the nomination of the Food and Agriculture Minister-designate.

Mr Owusu Afriyie Akoto is among three nominees rejected by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) members on the Appointments Committee of Parliament.

The Association says its members across the 16 regions are planning to hit the streets in protest against what they described as shocking and unfortunate decision by the NDC side.

In a statement issued and signed by its National President, Nana Opambour Boateng, the group accused the NDC of sacrificing the national interest for their individual and parochial interest.

“We are sending strong caution to the NDC and their members in Parliament to be careful of their actions. They can do politics with everything but certainly not our agricultural sector because we will fiercely resist it,” it said.

According to them, the sector is on its way to recovery thanks to the massive interventions spearheaded by the Minister and therefore any attempt to sabotage him will not be entertained.

“We view the decision by the NDC as highly political and petty; as far as we are concerned the Minister-designate acted in the interest of the ordinary Ghanaian farmers and so we are at a loss as to why the Minority will arrive at this whimsical conclusion,” it noted.

Members of the Association are therefore calling on the NDC to rescind their decision or face their wrath.

They observed that if the Minority in Parliament has the interest of farmers in this country at heart, then they should take a second look at their decision.

“We know the NDC have huge majority of constituents who are farmers, particularly in the northern parts of the country; they should not forget they stand to lose a lot should this Minister be rejected,” the Association argued.

They further called on well-meaning Ghanaians to join hands in condemning the NDC for their decision to sacrifice competence on the altar of personal interest and vendetta.