Tarkwa, June 2, GNA - Miss Joyce Aryee, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, has said the rising cost of wheat, rice and their related food products on the world market must not scare Ghanaians.

Ms. Aryee said though it should be of concern to all, it should not scare Ghanaians or Ghanaian farmers in any way. She said the country could easily overcome this food threat if Ghanaians are encouraged to consume more yams, cassava, plantain, beans, leafy vegetables and other locally grown foods. Ms. Aryee told the Ghana News Agency in an interview on Sunday that though the prices were rising daily, a lot of Ghanaians depended more on roots, tubers and vegetables than on wheat and rice. She said the country's agricultural sector could receive a massive boost if all Ghanaians adopted a more positive attitude towards locally grown foods.

Ms. Aryee said by patronising locally produced foods, more funds would go back to the farmer who would in turn re-invest to expand his or her farms.

She said the country was likely to gain and become food sufficient and less dependent on imported foods. Ms. Aryee said Ghanaian farmers had the capacity to produce all types of foods to feed its people and there was the need for financial institutions and other non bank institutions to support and turn round the fortunes of the agricultural sector. "The country cannot continue to import both crude oil and food from overseas to feed the people," she said and appealed to farmers to begin expanding their farms.