A former Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Sugri Bamagne, has debunked claims that the government deployed military to the northern part of the country to intimidate voters rather than enforce the ban on grain export.
On Friday, August 30, the Minority in Parliament raised issues with the deployment of the military to border towns across the nation to enforce the ban on grain export in the wake of the drought-induced crop failures in the northern and middle belts of Ghana.
According to the Minority, the deployment of the military without a broader consultation with stakeholders raised suspicions.
It said neither the Minister of Food and Agriculture nor the Defence Minister provided evidence to establish the inability of the Immigration and Customs services to enforce the ban.
“The Immigration Service is statutorily empowered to manage and patrol the country’s borders as a first line of defense. The Customs Service, on the other hand, compliments the Immigration service in the exercise of its preventive functions along our borders,” James Agalga, Minority spokesperson on Defence and Interior said.
READ ALSO: Grain Export Ban: Security Forces To Guard Borders To Ensure Enforcement
However, Dr Bamagne insisted that that the government’s only reason for the military deployment was to protect Ghana’s food supply.
He added that the government’s need to secure the nation’s food supply takes precedence over any other concerns.
“As we sit now because we are looking at the food security situation, it is national security. If we are not able to make ourselves food secure then it can lead to chaos.
“So, I don’t know what some people are thinking. I head the minority side of parliament even talking about elections and intimidation of voters and all those things and I said while the minister is thinking of food, some people are thinking of votes.
“I find it a bit absurd. Because we have to feed ourselves before we think about any other thing,” he stated during a discussion on “The Big Issues”.