Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh has warned of a growing national food distribution crisis, saying food is rotting on farms while Senior High Schools (SHS) struggle with shortages of essential supplies.

In an open letter addressed to President John Mahama on Wednesday, the Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP described the situation as a “serious governance and administrative failure” with dangerous consequences for farmers, students and national food security.

“While the shortage of food is typically alarming, equally problematic is the glut of foodstuffs. Unfortunately, we are now witnessing both,” he stated.

According to him, farmers producing grains, roots, and tubers are unable to sell their crops, while schools continue to face shortages due to failures in the food distribution system.

“Farmers of grains, roots, and tubers are reporting little to no sales of their crops,” he said, adding that institutions such as the National Buffer Stock are constrained by “paltry budgetary allocations.”

Mr Annoh-Dompreh said the crisis is affecting student welfare and academic performance across the country.

“Persistent food shortages and food supply disruptions in Senior High Schools also represent a serious governance and administrative failure with direct social consequences,” he wrote.

“Inadequate and irregular food supply undermines student welfare, affects concentration and academic performance, and places unnecessary pressure on school management.”

He painted a grim picture of farmers losing hope as harvested produce goes to waste due to the absence of markets and storage systems.

“Our farmers did their part to deliver bumper harvest last year. But today, their produce rots because there are no markets,” he stated.

“A tomato farmer in the Ketu South cannot sell his harvest even at rock-bottom prices, while households in Accra buy expensive imported tomato paste.”

He also questioned why local produce remains expensive despite the abundance of harvests.

“Maize farmers cannot find buyers, yet a bag of local rice is more expensive than imported parboiled rice from Vietnam or Thailand. This paradox is crushing the backbone of our nation,” he stressed.

The Minority Chief Whip warned that many farmers are abandoning agriculture altogether because they can no longer sustain production.

“Farmers who cannot sell their harvest cannot afford seeds, fertiliser, or labour for the next planting season. Many are abandoning their farms altogether, threatening a future famine,” he cautioned.

“Some are even selling their farmland to real estate developers out of desperation.”

Mr Annoh-Dompreh blamed the crisis on the absence of a strong agricultural marketing system, inadequate storage infrastructure and poor feeder roads.

“The absence of an agricultural marketing board with guaranteed minimum prices, the lack of storage infrastructure (silos and cold chains), and the neglect of feeder roads mean that abundance becomes waste,” he said.

He called on the President to establish an emergency produce purchase scheme, open strategic food reserves, and create a clear framework for supplying food to public Senior High Schools.