Kwaku Asomah Cheremeh BA R/M (middle) addressing the press
Several bags of fertilizer worth over GH¢600,000 meant for the Planting for Food and Jobs programme in the Brong Ahafo Region have been stolen from the Ministry of Agriculture warehouse in the Sunyani Municipality of the region.
Seven workers of the Mandela warehouse, where the ferlizers are kept, are being questioned with regard to the disappearance of the fertilizers; the Brong Ahafo Regional Minster, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, told the media at a press conference yesterday.
He said though the quantities of the fertilizer bags have not yet been determined, it is believed that the price involved runs into GH¢600,000 or more.
According to the minister, it was detected that a syndicate involving workers of the warehouse and some members outside the warehouse have been stealing the fertilizer from October 2017 to June 2018. However, he indicated that, so far, nobody has been interdicted or arrested.
He disclosed: “We have reported the theft to the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI), the Police and the Regional Coordinating Council including the Sunyani Municipal Assembly. They are conducting an investigation to unravel the mysterious circumstances under which the fertilizers got missing from the warehouse.”
According to him, no part of the warehouse has been broken into, suggesting that some workers of the warehouse connived with outsiders to ‘shortchange’ the government policy of Planting for Food and Jobs. The Minister assured the public that the issue would not affect the Planting for Food and Jobs programme since there are enough fertilizers available.
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Sunyani
danielyaodayee@yahoo.com