According to Ken Agyapong, cassava is more significant to Ghana than gold
Kennedy Agyapong, a presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), claims that one of the reasons Ghana is having difficulties with its development process is because agriculture has not been given priority. He contends that the nation has mistakenly pinned all of its expectations on royalties from the exploitation of mineral resources like gold…
Kennedy Agyapong, a presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), claims that one of the reasons Ghana is having difficulties with its development process is because agriculture has not been given priority.
He contends that the nation has mistakenly pinned all of its expectations on royalties from the exploitation of mineral resources like gold and has neglected to appreciate how agriculture may contribute to the nation’s transformation.
On Wednesday, June 21, 2023, while he was submitting his nomination for the NPP flagbearer contest, Agyapong remarked that Ghana would quickly undergo a transformation if it concentrated entirely on the production and processing of cassava.
“Unfortunately, we think of gold as the pinnacle, but I disagree. Cassava, in my opinion, is more significant than gold. Gold is a luxury, cassava is a need. Palm is a need and gold is a luxury, much like sugarcane and gold.
“When I went to the Thai Ministry of Agriculture, they had 32 distinct goods made only from cassava, ranging from cookies to starch to ethanol. What are we doing in this nation if we utilise corn for ethanol and corn oil? said he.
“We [are] in Ghana, and Malaysia has acquired the Unilever Company. We import palm oil from Malaysia to make Frytol oil and soap. Why are we human beings flawed? He asked questions.
The candidate for president continued by saying that Ghana’s dependency on imports had to stop if the nation was to produce at least all of its basic requirements and keep food prices steady.
