33rd National Farmers Day Award launched
Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo (5th left), Nene Davies Narh Korboe (right) 2009 National Best Farmer, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto and Madam Afoley Quaye in a chat |
The 33rd National Farmers Day (NFD) has been launched in Accra, with a
renewed commitment by the government to increase budgetary allocation
to the sector to boost productivity.
The Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, gave an assurance at the
launch of the event by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), in
collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development
(MOFAD), on the theme: “Planting for Food and Jobs”.
The minister, who performed the launch on Wednesday, called on
financial institutions and corporate entities to donate towards the
successful hosting of this year’s event.
Present at the launch were some of Ghana’s development partners,
former award winners, representatives of financial institutions, some
members of the Diplomatic Corps and other stakeholders in the
agriculture value chain.
Support
Mr Osafo-Maafo said this year’s NFD was being retooled and remodelled
to celebrate farmers for their immense contribution to national
development.
“This year’s NFD is going to be one of a difference because we are
going to do something extraordinary that will befit the toil of farmers.
To adequately reward our farmers this year as envisaged, I would like
to call on members of the banking community, oil companies and other
strategic partners in the agriculture value chain to support the event,”
he said.
Initiatives
The Minister of Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, said his
ministry had mapped out plans to support farmers who were anticipating a
bumper harvest this year.
He said the assets of the defunct Buffer Stock Company, which
included 27 warehouses, would be handed over to the Grains and Legumes
Development Board to encourage private participation.
According to the minister, the ministry was engaging all stakeholders
and farmer groups to ensure that the government’s policies for the
sector were properly carried out to ensure food security.
For her part, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development
(MOFAD), Madam Afoley Quaye, urged fishermen to use the upcoming NFD as a
reference point to stay away from the use of illegal fishing methods.
“Let us say ‘no’ to bad fish. Any fish caught illegally is bad fish,
so all fishermen should use proper fishing methods to save the fishing
sub-sector from total collapse,” she said.
Background
The NFD was introduced by the erstwhile Provisional National Defence
Council (PNDC) government in 1985 in recognition of the vital role
farmers and fishers play in the country’s economy.
From a humble beginning of machetes and Wellington boots as prizes
for the award winners, the reward package has increased in worth to
include motorbikes, vehicles and houses.
The Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) constructed a house at a cost
of $100,000 for the 2016 National Best Farmer, Mr Robert Crentsil, from
the Ejumako-Enyan-Essiam District in the Central Region.
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