Minister-designate for Trade and Industry Kobina Tahir Hammond has revealed that Ghana spends over US$164 million on the importation of animal entrails to supplement the country’s animal protein needs.
He described the situation as very scandalous and stressed the state should seriously consider as much as possible, a policy to ensure a viable import substitution for these products.
The nominee, also Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa made this disclosure when he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Monday February 20 to be vetted as Minister for Agriculture.
Responding to a question on the need to strengthen Ghana’s import substitution industry, the nominee disclosed that after his nomination by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo he made a bit of research and discovered cabinet is actually taking up this issue.
According to him, a committee was constituted by Cabinet to specifically deal with this issue, which decided to look at some specific areas on the issue of important substitution.
“What I find very scandalizing is what appeared at paragraph four of the items that they have listed, do you know what we are importing into Ghana; we’re importing gaps, bladders and stomachs of animals to complement our food… and that alone totaled in that in question about US$165,570,000 plus some hundreds of bonus.”
“I thought this is a little bit of a scandal,” he said.
Mr. K.T Hammond also disclosed that during his research he discovered tons that of rice are smuggled into the country without adequate disclosure.
He stated that looking at how much rice is produced locally and how much rice is consumed, there is a gap of close to 600 metric tonnes that been consumed but not accounted for through the system.
He argued there is a need to show some sanity in the way scarce foreign exchange are used to import all manner of items that turn to suffocate some local companies and cited the textile industry in Ghana.
According to him, Cabinet is already taking clear decision on some of these matters and stressed government is very clear on what is to be done and why all the import substitution, particularly the textiles need to be sustained.