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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
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

33rd National Farmers Day Award launched

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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