The government of Ghana has restricted the export of maize, soya beans and some other two important commodities in the poultry sub-sector from the country.
The restriction however comes after there was a directive from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) in order to ensure food security and increase local poultry and livestock production in the country.
Meanwhile, the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) has stopped issuing phytosanitary certificates for the export of both commodities.
According to a source who spoke with Daily Graphic, “For us (PPRSD), since the directive came, it means that we cannot issue any certificate, but for the soya bean, an exporter needs to be cleared under L.I. 2432 before we can grant the exporter certification to export”, the source said.
The source added that, the directive was premised on the fact that the country did not have enough quantities of those commodities, for which reason it could no longer export them. It indicated that the PPRSD was committed, under its mandate, to organise, regulate, implement and coordinate the plant protection services needed for the country in support of the sustainable growth and development of agriculture.
The directive however restricts Ghana’s export of the commodities to Niger, Sierra Leone, the Republic of Congo, the United Kingdom, Qatar, the United States, Italy and Canada.