Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, an agricultural economist and a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Manifesto Committee, expressed concerns over the inefficiencies and rent-seeking behavior plaguing Ghana’s agricultural sector.
In a recent interview on JoyNews’ AM Show on the topic “The Agric Manifesto”, Dr. Otokunor highlighted the troubling phenomenon where farm inputs, intended to boost agricultural productivity, are being manipulated by rent seekers. According to him, “Farm inputs have been taken over by rent seekers who are politicians. These individuals are neither agriculturists nor farmers. They have hoarded these inputs and, when they are about to expire, they release them to the market for people to buy,” he stated.
He stressed that this practice is detrimental to the sector, as it deprives farmers of timely access to essential inputs and compromises the quality and effectiveness of these resources when they are made available.
Dr. Otokunor proposes to address these challenges in the agricultural sector.
“As the country, these are systemic issues that need to be addressed to unlock the full potential of Ghana’s agricultural sector and the issue of rent-seeking and policy efficiency has become a problem and it is one thing that as a political party we are hoping to cure,” he stated
