Thieves have allegedly broken into the warehouse of the Techiman Metropolitan Department of Agriculture, making away with large quantities of rice and fertiliser meant for drought-affected farmers in the area.
The stolen items include approximately 9,860 2.5kg bags of rice, 4,447 5kg bags of MP4 fertiliser, and 3,150 5kg bags of Urea fertiliser. The incident reportedly occurred about a week after the December 7 General Election.
Madam Grace Obeng Amenya, the officer in charge of stock at the Techiman Metro Department of Agriculture, disclosed the incident in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.
She said the items had been received just a week before the elections and were to be distributed to farmers who had been affected by drought.
“Just before the elections, we received a call that some unknown individuals had besieged the warehouse and made away with the items,” she stated.
According to her, the perpetrators broke the original padlocks and replaced them with new ones to conceal the break-in.
The matter has since been reported to the police. A regional investigative team was also formed to look into the incident. Madam Amenya said it was only after the team broke into the warehouse that the theft was confirmed.
Mr Stephen Aidoo, the Techiman Metropolitan Director of Agriculture, also confirmed the theft to the GNA. He indicated that investigations are ongoing but no arrests have been made yet.
