The Member of Parliament for Tempane, Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, has said a majority of households in Ghana have resorted to the use of charcoal to cook due to their inability to purchase Liquified Petroleum Ghana (LPG).
The MP said the spike in the prices of gas is making it impossible for many homes to continue its use.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba said Ghana’s quest to plant more trees will be thwarted by the rise in prices of LPG.
“Another issue we need to deal with is the prices of gas. Today every woman in this house knows that the prices of gas have gone up and therefore resorted to the use of charcoal. This will make our afforestation issues worse because at the end of the day, if I can’t afford gas, I will fall on charcoal. So people will continue to burn charcoal and burn down the trees we are planting.”
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There has been an increase in demand for charcoal as an alternative source of fuel for cooking following the rising cost of LPG.
This is in the face of the campaign against deforestation and the cylinder recirculation module.
Concerns have been raised about how trees in the country’s forests are being cut down for charcoal production.