GNAFF wants more support for agriculture
The Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen (GNAFF) has called on the government to prioritise importation of a lot more farming equipment into the country in order to boost agricultural production.
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According to the association, that must be done alongside the provision of storage facilities for farm produce to prevent them from going bad in times of bumper harvest.
In addition, it said, farming inputs such as fertilisers should be made readily available for farmers to plant their crops.
“When we have good storage facilities we would have a lot of food available all-year-round to meet national demand,” the President of GNAFF, Nene E.T. Mensah, said this at a press conference to introduce the newly elected executive of the association to the public.
Worrying
According to Nene Mensah, the incidence of illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey’ in the country, was a worrying development. He, therefore, called on the government to take a tough stance against the practice.
Nene Mensah said the activities of galamsey were destroying farmlands and water bodies which were vital for not only the agricultural sector, but for the livelihood of the people as well.
“Failure to deal with the issue of galamsey would affect the future of the country,” he warned.
He said the membership of the association, which is the mouthpiece of farmers in the country, stood at 5 million and comprised farmers in the zonal, district, regional and national levels.
The members, he said, were ready to provide the country’s food needs. As such, he requested for funds to be made available to the association within the national budget to enable the association to undertake activities geared towards producing more food.
“We can get foreign exchange from agriculture to assist with the country’s development,” he said.
Nene Mensah called on the new government not to form new farmer-based organisations (FBOs), since that would result in the establishment of splinter groups within the FBOs.
Nana Akufo-Addo
The association has meanwhile congratulated the President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on winning the 2016 general election.