Kumasi, March, 18, GNA-Mr. Edward T. Kareweh, Deputy General Secretary of Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) of the Trades Union Congress of the TUC, has appealed the government to adopt measures to solve the food crisis in the country.

This, he said, would help the country produce food in abundance to feed the nation as well as for export. Mr. Kareweh said this at a day's workshop on Food Security organized by GAWU for 35 participants selected from the union in Kumasi on Tuesday. He said the current food problem demanded the creation of appropriate technologies and called on District, Municipal and Metropolitan assemblies to help deal with the situation. Mr. Kareweh said lack of political will coupled with the fact that the country had been tied up with multi-national institutions have also created obstacles affecting the production of food. He emphasized the need for the government to encourage the private sector to undertake agro processing to boost local industries and open up employment opportunities.

Mr. Karim Saagbul, the Co-ordinating Officer of GAWU, said the concept of food security is a human right. He said the concept had been one of the leading advocacy issues being pursued by the union to help address the situation and called on other stakeholders to support the union in its efforts to attain the objective.

"Governments are bound to respect, protect and fulfil the right of food which also means that they should be accountable to the people if they violate those obligations." Mr. Clement Kabah, Ashanti Regional Industrial Relations Officer of the Union advised traders not to sell their food near Agro-Chemical shops since the food could be poisonous.