GRi in Parliament Ghana 03 - 05 - 2001
President has not sidelined Upper West-Eledi
Deputy Minister-designate lauds National
Farmers' Day
President has not sidelined Upper
West-Eledi
Accra (Greater Accra) 03 May 2001
The absence of a New Patriotic Party (NPP) member of Parliament from the Upper West may have constrained the President in appointing a Cabinet Minister from the region.
A presidential nominee for a deputy ministerial portfolio, on Wednesday said this when he appeared before the Parliamentary Appointment Committee in Accra on Wednesday.
Mr. Clement Lugri Nyivori Eledi, Deputy Minister of Mines, Lands and Forestry designate, who hails from the region said, "the President can do very little when he is mandated to take the majority of his Cabinet from Parliament"
He said, "in spite of the speculations, the President has found it fit to select me. I think we should emphasis what unites us than what divides us as a people."
Mr Johnson Aseidu Nketia, member, had sought to find out the views of the nominee on a statement allegedly made by the President to the effect that he could not find any one from the Upper West Region to work with.
On land delivery and administration, he said that the state itself has contributed to the indiscipline in the sector.
"At the moment the state owes stools, skins and families about 800 billion cedis in compensations for parcels of land taken many years ago."
He called for a fair and adequate compensation package for any group or person who surrenders land for the public good.
The committee also screened Mr Rashid Bawa, Deputy Minister of Education designate.
He expressed support for the re-introduction of corporal punishment in schools and the return of hitherto missions schools to their original benefactors.
Mr Bawa attributed the low enrolment in schools to the general poor economic situation in the country and ignorance among the population.
GRi…/
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Deputy Minister-designate lauds National
Farmers' Day
Accra (Greater Accra) 03 May 2001
Dr Matthew Kwaku Antwi, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture-designate on Wednesday said the National Farmers' Day was instituted in good faith and it should be continued and sustained to encourage farmers to increase their productivity.
He said he would not recommend to the government to subsidise agricultural production in view of the current economic difficulties facing the country since the issue of subsidy entails a lot.
Dr Antwi, who was speaking when he appeared before the Parliamentary Appointments Committee, said the main challenges facing the agricultural sector include financing, land acquisition, harvest losses, marketing and processing.
He said the establishment of an agricultural development fund for the production, processing and marketing of agricultural produce would go a long way to supporting more farmers to go into the sector since it is only the Agricultural Development Bank which assists farmers with loans.
Dr Antwi lauded the Youth in Agriculture programme but said it needs to be reviewed so as to include and encourage graduates and public servants to take to agriculture.
The Deputy Minister-designate said since funding of irrigation schemes are expensive, construction of simple dams and the use of water pumps should be encouraged to assist small-scale farmers harness the water for their farming activities.
Dr Antwi called for a national debate on the land tenure system and said it requires a political will by the government to bring about the needed reforms for sanity to prevail in land acquisition.
He called on the government to set up a high-powered committee to look into the issue of settler farmers and the land tenure system to stop conflicts and to encourage new farmers and investors to assist in the socio-economic development of the country.
Mr Benjamin Osei Kufuor, Deputy-Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines - designate suggested that a task force be set up with enough capacity building to help regulate chainsaw operation.
He said the export of round logs should be discouraged and suggested the down stream processing of the log as the best answer since it helps to add value to the produce.
Mr Kufuor said there are about 600 lesser-known species of timber, which could be exploited and processed to earn foreign exchange for the country.
The Minister-designate called on saw-millers to give their proposals on how to add value to their products and measures to address the various taxes in the industry.
Mr Kufuor said,"galamsey" operators should be helped to improve their operations since their activities bring about pollution and environmental degradation.
He suggested massive reforestation, establishment of woodlots and cash crop production as a means of arresting the southward spread of the Sahara Desert especially to the northern parts of the country, where the vegetative cover has been destroyed.
Mr. Kufuor said the problem of land tenure, which has been a major constraint to agricultural development, needs a holistic approach while the Lands Commission should be decentralised to allow for proper land documentation and administration.
GRi…/
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