It is said that “if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” Indeed, everyone would have wished that food had substitute so that in terms of any food crisis, there would be an alternative. However, the fact of the matter is that food has no substitute and without it, life would be meaningless on earth.

For this reason, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr. Ernest Debrah, at this week’s “meet- the- press” series at the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, enlightened Ghanaians about the current global food situation.

According to Brazilian President, Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula Dasilva, one of the causes of the food situation in the world is poverty. This is intriguing. It means that the living conditions of people in the world has or is improving hence the situation.

Under normal circumstances, this should be good news which ought to be hailed by all. However, there are other negative contributing factors which must be addressed.

Demand and Supply come to mind. In this regard, it may appear that those who need food are more than those who supply the food. It is obvious that when consumers exceed suppliers there would be shortage of food.

In addition, climatic conditions also contribute to that. Climate in the world has been changing due to pollution and deforestation. Above all, increase in crude oil prices in the world market is also a factor.

Following these developments, there is no doubt that the world would face food crisis if pragmatic measures are not put in place to avert the situation. However, experts are of the view that the situation could likely persist for a decade.Even though Ghana was hit by severe drought and floods in the three northern regions a couple of months a go, with timely intervention by the government, there is enough food for the citizenry until the next farming season.

Ghana ought to see the rise of food production in the world as an opportunity instead of a curse. This is the time for Ghanaians to move into farming on arable lands so that when there is abundant food in the country, the surplus could be exported for foreign exchange.

There is also the need to develop the penchant for consuming locally produced food because they are cost effective and better than foreign food.

Further more, it is very important to preserve the food that we have now and ensure that it should not be smuggled outside the country. This is because when such behaviour is entertained, the country could be short of food and this could result to famine. The consequences are that there would be diseases, deaths, malnutrition and other unbearable situation.

Food, being the bedrock of humanity, journalists did not hesitate to ask thorny questions during question time. A journalist asked the Minister the cause of four people who died in the northern region after taking meals. Mr. Debrah said the cause of the deaths was due to eating dead cow that suffered from anthrax disease. He explained that it is a disease that is mostly found in cattle. He, therefore, cautioned Ghanaians to desist from eating dead animals.

Another journalist also wanted to know whether measures were taken to promote urban agriculture in Accra. In response, the Minister observed that in 1977, from Nsawam to Accra was all farms but now it is all houses. He, however, said plans were being made to turn Accra plains into farming lands.

“What is the nation doing to build rice production in Ghana?” a journalist asked. Mr. Debrah answered by saying NERICA rice is suitable for cultivation in Ghana. “We are even giving them out to farmers to crop,” he said. The Minister added that northern region is expected to crop 2000 hectares of NERICA rice. In a follow-up question, journalist wanted to know the status of Aveyime rice project. The Minister said Aveyime rice project “cannot solve all rice problems in Ghana. It can only produce 10,000 tonnes of rice in a year.”

Further, one journalist said peasant farmers were constrained with finance and there was the need to help them. Mr. Debrah said government does support them but payment was the problem. “But workshops are going on to ascertain why farmers are not re-paying,” yet the government still supports them, he added.