Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, has announced that payment process to settle the arrears owed to members of the National Food Suppliers Association has already commenced.

In an interview on Citi FM, the minister noted that the first instalment is to be disbursed beginning Monday, July 17.

He stated that this information has been made known to the members of the National Food Suppliers Association, who have been sleeping at the premises of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) since Tuesday, July 4, to demand payment of GH¢278 million owed them.

“Luckily, there has been a reconciliation and payment is being processed for them and it will be paid to them starting July 17. I can assure you that from July 17, those who have supplied and have been cleared will be paid their money,” the Agric Minister said.

According to Mr Acheampong, government has already initiated the processes to ensure it pays what is due to the aggrieved food suppliers. He shot down claims that government has been compelled to act due to the picketing by food suppliers.

“There was no need to have the protest for these people to be paid from July 17, they are not being paid because they have protested because we had the timelines on when they were going to receive the money and the protest has only forced us to come out to tell them the date for the payment and so I told them today that it was not because of the protest that they were being paid.”

Following this announcement, some members of the Food Suppliers Association packed their belongings and left the premises of NAFCO, however, a few still remain.

They argue that leaving at this crucial time would nullify their initiatives taken to ensure their receive their money.