The aggrieved members of the National Food Suppliers Association (NAFSA), in a press statement, have established that it rejected the government’s offer to settle half of their arrears.
This statement follows the association’s closed-door meeting with the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum yesterday, at the Ministry of Education to discuss the National Food Buffer Stock Company’s debt to the National Food Suppliers Association.
According to the statement, sighted by the paper, the spokesperson of the association, Koku Amedume, indicated that following the meeting with the Minister of Education, “it was revealed that a total amount of Four Hundred and Eighteen Million Ghana Cedis (GH¢418,000,000) has been released to the National Food Buffer Stock Company between the periods of 2021, 2022 and 2023. One Hundred Million Ghana Cedis (GH¢100,000,000), Two Hundred and Eighty-Three Million Ghana Cedis (GH¢283,000,000), and Thirty-Five Million Ghana Cedis (GH¢35,000,000) respectively.
“It is worthy to note that, even though the Minister asserts to have released an amount of GH¢283 million in 2022 to the Buffer Stock Company for payment of arrears in 2022, members of the National Suppliers Association are yet to receive a penny of the said amount,” the statement read.
The statement indicated that the minister informed the National Food Suppliers Association executives that, in January 2023, the amount paid (GH¢35 million) was the remaining balance of the 2022 arrears owed to the National Food Suppliers Association.
Mr. Amedume emphasised that the executive members of the association rejected the government’s offer to settle the half payment of the money owed following the minister’s statement that the government is not in a position to pay the arrears in full.
Interest On Debt
The food suppliers on various occasions have called on government to pay the interest on arrears owned the association since June 2022 due to the sudden increase in commodity prices on the market.
According to members of the association, a 100kg bag of maize and beans which cost GH¢120 and GH¢500 in 2022 now cost GH¢600 and GH¢1,000 respectively. Similarly, a carton of milk that was GH¢72 now sells at GH¢192.
“We are asking government to direct the Buffer Stock managers to pay us interest on the money they owe since June 2022. Taking the prices of commodities that have increased recently, without interest we will not be able to stay in business as banks are on our necks to take over properties and assets,” they said.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke