Agri National

NFFAWAG Calls On Ex-President Rawlings

By Joyce Bedeley

Ghana’s former president, Jerry John Rawlings has bemoaned what he describes as the frustrations meted out to potential investors whose aim is to invest in various sectors of the country, including the agricultural sector. According to the former president, potential investors with the wherewithal to make substantial investments in the agric sector of the country repeatedly got frustrated by the system which hitherto led to the detriment of the sector.

Ex-president Rawlings expressed these sentiments when he met with the National Farmers and Fishermen Award Winners Association of Ghana, NFFAWAG at his Ridge office in Accra. According to Mr. Rawlings, he is looking forward to see a government demonstrate its integrity considering some of the painful experiences he personally encountered when the erstwhile Mahama-led NDC government frustrated his efforts to establish a mango plantation in the country.

‘My own government kept tossing me up and down when some investors came in to seek an opportunity to establish a mango plantation in an area close to the Volta River which was later neglected and considering the poor living standards of the farmers in the area, I tried for more than one and half years to see if the place can be made available so that I can look for investors to grab the opportunity and make it available to the poor folks in the area so they can farm and feed themselves,’ the former leader of the NDC asserted.

The National Farmers and Fishermen Award Winners Association of Ghana, NFFAWAG on Tuesday called on the high office of Ghana’s ex-president, Jerry John Rawlings at his office at Ridge in Accra. The purpose of the visit among others was to pay homage to the country’s ex-leader and celebrate his initiative to celebrate the nation’s farmers through the introduction of the National Farmers Day Celebration which he introduced thirty-two years ago during his tenure as Head of State.

The visit which was the first by the group to ex-president Rawlings was also to offer NFFAWAG the opportunity to seek his views and contributions on the event he instituted 32-years-ago as well as on his stand on Ghana’s agric sector.

Mr. Rawlings who explained that his motivation for instituting the Farmers Day celebrations was borne out of his resolve to recognize the toil of the nation’s farmers, also took a swipe at culprits behind the wanton destruction of the environment in the form of small scale miners popularly known as galamsey.

‘The farmers day celebration was borne out to recognize the hard toil of farmers in the country and whiles they keep to their hard work, others drain their blood and toil in their bid to destroy the environment and I think it is about time somebody in the high offices showed concern,’ the ex-president lamented.

He further urged the group to meet with the new Agric Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto and the president, Nana Akuffo Addo and put some of these issues and other suggestions to them while demanding what can be done beyond merely rewarding the nation’s best farmers. He also hoped that the ‘youth in agric’ mantra shouldn’t become just a slogan since Agriculture will help stabilize the economic situation in the country.

Chairman of the group, Mr. Davies Narh Korboe who introduced the group’s members to the former president, explained to him the purpose of the visit which according to him was to pay homage to him in recognition of his effort to initiate the National Farmers Day Celebration and also his views on pertinent issues confronting the agric sector.

These the chairman noted included issues of illegal methods of farming involving the locals as well as foreigners in the country which he lamented were contributing to the recession of a sector which had long been touted as the backbone of the Ghanaian economy. The chairman therefore took the opportunity to call for the abolishment of the illegal fishing methods, fish poisoning and the pollution of the country’s water bodies by galamsey operators ‘ while our security agencies looked on. The other purpose of the visit the chairman explained was equally to deliberate on what to look forward to beyond the National Farmers’ Day through the question, ‘what next after the awards.’

Municipal Health Director for Ho, Mr. Kwesi Djokoto who doubles as Aid to the Office of the Ex-President explained that the farmers’ day event has been one of the most consequential policies which have left an indelible mark on the agric sector of the country, stressing that the importance of celebrating the farmers’ day cannot be overlooked.

On his part, Mr. Ben Kumbuor who is a Lawyer by profession, a farmer and also a member of the Revolution said government officials were so quick to have their names on plaques whiles those who actually produce to feed the country are left out.

Mr. Commodore Steve Obimpeh- Former Agric Minister and also a member of the erstwhile Rawlings led National Democratic Congress, NDC government expressed the office’s appreciation to the group for voluntarily forming such an association to help themselves.

Ex-president Rawlings also used the occasion to express his condolences to the families of the victims of the Kintampo Water Falls disaster which occurred on over the weekend.

Other members of the group also took turns to impress upon Mr. Rawlings to use his office and influence to lure more women into the agric sector in order to enable them make a living to cater for their families.

The meeting was climaxed with the presentation of gift items, including a T-shirt, three rams and a membership card which officially makes him a member of NFFAWAG.

Source: ritefmonline.org

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