Choicenewsonline Your Choice Is Here
It is with great sadness and regret that I write in response to the recent unfounded allegations made on my person by some individuals aimed at discrediting me. I would like to state without mincing words that I have never and do not intend in any way to circumvent items intended for party faithfuls to NDC members.
I have always been available and continue to always avail myself to all manner of persons in the district such that if these people peddling these lies had consulted me, they would have gained a better understanding of the government intervention and would not have initiated the series of event that followed.
The said fertilizer being distributed is under the Planting for Food and Jobs phase 2 being implemented nationwide. The program is a government intervention aimed at supporting needy farmers throughout the nation to boost their productivity through the provision of input credit. The program was initiated at the beginning of this year, with active registration of farmers starting in April this year nationwide.
Registration was done with the aid of an android application (GhAAP app) developed by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to collect data on all farmers in the country. This application collated details on all farmers who were willing to register, capturing details such as their farm size, crops cultivated as well as their Ghana card numbers for easy identification.
The registration of farmers is still ongoing as at now and farmers have been registered by the hardworking Agricultural Extension Agents of the Department of Agriculture in the Offinso North District. To initiate distribution of the fertilizer nationwide, an official communique from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture dated 9th July, 2024 with reference MB124/565/01 titled “DISTRIBUTION OF INPUTS TO FARMERS” and signed by the Ag. Chief Director for the Minister of Agriculture was sent out to all MMDCs in the country.
The letter indicated the first 200,000 registered farmers on the GhAAP farmers app nationwide as the farmers to receive the initial grant fertilizers and inputs to support their farming activities. To facilitate the distribution of the inputs, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture downloaded the list of first registered 200,000 farmers nationwide and segregated it by district.
These lists were then distributed to the respective District Department of Agriculture of which Offinso North farmers who registered, benefited from the grant fertilizer distribution. At this juncture, I would like to state emphatically that I had no influence on who gets registered and who gets selected for the grant fertilizer support.
In addition to the registered farmers on the GhAAP application, all MMDCEs and MPs were given a quota to support vulnerable farmers within their districts. These supports are intended to help these vulnerable farmers who were unable to register onto the GhAAP app.
The Honorable Member of Parliament for the constituency, Hon. Augustine Collins Ntim has made available 50% of his quota to the parliamentary candidate, Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah for the constituency to support vulnerable farmers within the district. Hon. A.C Ntim offered the PC, Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah the opportunity for him to support vulnerable farmers within the constituency.
As DCE I have also made available to the PC the opportunity for him to present a list of vulnerable farmers he wishes to support to be served also with my quota which has been expressly communicated to him. Both Hon. A.C Ntim and my humble self are yet to receive a response from Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, the PC.
It is therefore quite unfortunate these noble actions have been shrouded by efforts of some individuals to tarnish my reputation with unfounded, baseless lies.
I remain committed to contributing my all towards the success of this current NPP administration and the inevitable victory of His Excellency, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia and the victory of NPP in the constituency. I will continue to work assiduously with the Parliamentary Candidate for the New Patriotic Party in the constituency, Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, to retain the enviable seat of Offinso North constituency.
Nevertheless, with the arrival of the communication from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture signed by the Ag. Chief Director for the Minister, there is no effort from my outfit to flaunt the orders received from the Honorable Minister . I would also state that the list supplied makes it difficult for any person to deduce the political orientation of the farmers on the list. So who am I not to go by the list supplied by the Minister for Agriculture through the Chief Director?
Thank you.
HON. ALBERT SEFA BOAMPONG
DCE OFFINSO NORTH DISTRICT
0208166794/ 055647547
