An agricultural economist and Director of Inter-Party/Civil Society Organization Relations at the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, has shared concerns about the weaknesses and rent-seeking behavior in Ghana’s agricultural system.
On August 2, 2024, in Accra, Dr. Otokunor told the media that a worrying trend is emerging, where resources meant to help farmers are being exploited by those seeking personal gain.
“Farm inputs have been taken over by rent seekers who are politicians. These individuals are neither agriculturalists nor farmers. They have hoarded these inputs and, when they are about to expire, they release them to the market for people to buy,” Otokunor said.
According to him, this practice harms the sector by delaying farmers’ access to resources and reducing their quality and impact.
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The Director of Inter-Party/Civil Society Organization Relations at the NDC proposed a strategy to address systemic issues in Ghana’s agricultural sector, focusing on eliminating rent-seeking and enhancing policy efficiency to unlock its full potential.
“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 said
