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General News on Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Source: Graphic.com.gh
2019-06-11
Truck drivers arrested by police in Bolgatanga
Two articulated trucks, each loaded with 2,000 bags of NPK fertilizer for the government's flagship Plant for Food and Employment (PFJ) program, were seized by security agencies at the Paga border in Upper East region.
The trucks, registered under numbers AS 1300 V and GT 3181 J, were seized by security agencies on Sunday, June 9, 2019, as they attempted to cross the Burkinabe border.
Bolgatanga police arrested the drivers while trucks loaded with fertilizer were taken to the headquarters of the Regional Coordination Council in Bolgatanga pending further investigations.
At a press conference Monday in Bolgatanga, Ms. Paulina Abayage, Minister of Upper East East Region, said the voice accompanying the articles indicated that the fertilizer was supposed to be transported to Navrongo and not to Paga.
She added that before she could legally transport the brand fertilizer in a given region or district, some certifications, including the approval of the regional minister, regional and district directors of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. # 39; Agriculture, had to be respected. She noted, however, that the drivers did not have any of the above documents.
As part of the measures taken to combat smuggling this year, the regional minister said the government had labeled fertilizers with the "PFJ" policy name and logo. Ms. Abayage then explained that the 50 kilogram fertilizer bag was used for southern farmers, while the 25 kilograms were used for farmers in the north of the country.
The regional minister said it was discouraging to see the government's efforts to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people, especially in rural areas, sabotaged by some people.
Ms. Abayage pointed out that the drivers would be released on bail to bring the owners of the fertilizer to face all the rigors of the law.
This, she added, would have a deterrent effect on others; stating that security agencies have been trained to detect non-certified documents accompanying these fertilizers.
Ms. Abayage expressed gratitude to the security services for their vigilance and cooperation in identifying suspects and bringing them to justice.
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