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AGRICULTURE

Akuapim South Municipality to suffer food shortage due to indiscriminate sale of farmlands

Mr. James Abugre, the Akuapim South Municipal Development Planning Officer, has revealed that the assembly will in future suffer food insecurity due to the rampant sale of farmlands to real estate developers.

Date Created : 3/17/2023 12:00:00 AM : Story Author : Naa Shormei Odonkor/Ghanadistricts.com

“Our farmlands are being sold and converted into real estate. In about two to five years time, we will be hungry. There will not be food for us because we are selling our farmlands to estate developers”, he noted.

Mr. Abugre was speaking at the annual joint stakeholders’ review workshop on the implementation of the 2022 Composite Annual Action Plan and Budget, held at Aburi.

The workshop, compiled with L. I. 2232 of 2016 to improve decentralised planning, enhance capacity for policy formulation and coordination and ensure improved fiscal performance and sustainability.

In attendance at the workshop were all heads of departments, representatives from the security agencies, utility service providers, health, education, assembly members and others.

Although the assembly was able to achieve its target for agricultural production, Mr. Abugre, said the yield of staple foods such as maize, cassava, plantain, cocoyam and others from 2017 to 2022 was decreasing.

“Unlike Accra where there are no vast farmlands, there are a lot of industries, which employ most of the youth. Our situation as an assembly will be worse since we don’t have such industries”, he said.

Apart from the continuous selling of farmlands to real estate developers, he noted that one of the major challenges faced by the assembly was the increasing rate of teenage pregnancies resulting in school dropouts.

As a result, he noted that the social welfare, assembly members, health directorate and other stakeholders were doing their best to rectify the situation, in addition to intensifying studies in school.

Despite the various challenges faced by the assembly in 2022, Ms. Geneiveive Boateng, the Akuapim South Municipal Assistant Development Planning Officer said 97.34 percent of 70 targeted projects and activities were done.

Out of the 97.38 percent, she noted that 83.82 percent were completed, 14.71 percent ongoing and 1.14 percent yet to be carried out.

She listed the construction of one number, six units classroom block with ancillary at Yaw Nyarkokrom and a three-unit Kindergarten block with ancillary at Pakro as some completed projects.

She added that the municipality completed the construction of a municipal court complex which was currently in use and an almost completed 40-unit market in the municipality.