The Ministry of Food and Agriculture faces the risk of losing significant portions of its lands, currently occupied by various directorates, to encroachers.

An ongoing tour by the sector minister, Eric Opoku, has revealed a troubling situation where MOFA staff are being forcefully evicted from their offices to make way for private developers. Some of these developers are alleged to have acquired the lands illegally.

For example, the offices of the Women in Agricultural Development and Livestock Breeding Directorate at Borteyman, also known as Nungua Farms, are being engulfed by rapidly rising buildings reportedly constructed by influential individuals, including figures from both past and present administrations.

Dr. Dennis Adjei, the farm manager, highlighted the gravity of the issue during an interaction with the Agric Minister.

He revealed that the encroachment has become so severe that staff no longer have access routes to their office premises.

"Where we used to develop pasture for our animals have all now been turned into residential areas, which is making our work stressful and our security too at risk."

Our residency is currently on the other side of the road, and we have to always cross the highway to this place. We have to park our cars outside before coming to the office. Sometimes, we have to even beg them to allow us through their gate." A visibly worried Dr. Dennis Adjei lamented.

Notwithstanding the demolishing of their properties, the Directorate is also being pursued by the private developers to remove their piggery, rabbit, and poultry farms from the area.

The situation was not different at the other directorates, including; the Statistics Research Information Directorate - SRID at Pokuase, Veterinary Services Directorate, Crop Research Institute, and others currently toured by the Minister.

CALL FOR ORAL PROBE

Responding to the concerns, the Agric Minister Eric Opoku has called for the Operation Recover All Loot - ORAL Committee to assist in the matter, vowing to retrieve all the illegally acquired lands.

"I can assure you that you are not moving anywhere. Where exactly are they asking you to take your animal pens to? Because I just don't understand"

"I think ORAL will have to be invited into this matter to probe how these lands are been acquired. I assure you that all these lands that have been illegally acquired will be retrieved, " he assured.

The Minister has so far paid courtesy call on the Women in Agricultural Development Directorate and the Livestock Breeding Directorate all at Nungua Farms, the Veterinary Services Directorate, Animal Production Directorate, Finance and Administration, Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorates on day two of his tour.

He is expected to end the three-day tour on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, with a visit to the Agric Engineering Services Directorate, to familiarise himself with staff and get their buy-in as he prepares to execute the government's grand agenda of improving the Agric Sector in the next four years.