Farmers Day Celebration Is Now Expensive For Farmers To Bear – Opambour Bonsu Boateng

The President of Concerned Farmers Association of Ghana, Opambour Bonsu Boateng has alleged that farmer’s day celebration is now expensive for farmers to bear.

He alleged that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has privatized farmers’ day celebration and since the current government came into power, everything is being sold to farmers during the celebration.

‘Politicians have hijacked farmers day celebration, they use the day to do political talks instead of focusing on farmers, farmers day is not for politicians but rather for farmers’ he warned. It will be recalled that on September 11, 2019, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, launched the 2019 edition of the national farmer’s day celebration in Accra.

This year’s celebration, the 35th of its kind, would be held in Ho, the Volta Regional Capital. Farmers from the remaining 15 regions would participate in the celebration in December. The 2019 celebration is under the theme: ‘Enhancing Small Scale Agriculture towards Agribusiness Development.’

The occasion would be used to award farmers and fisherfolks who have worked tirelessly to contribute to the growth of the Ghanaian economy.
Speaking at the launch Mr. Ofori-Atta observed that farmers and fisherfolks were the backbones of the Ghanaian economy.
He said Government would continue to work hard to safeguard agriculture.

According to him, Ghana has the potential to produce food to supply the whole of West Africa and still have surplus for exports. Meanwhile on the same program was, the Former National Organizer of Ghana National Association of Famers and Fishermen and he is the current National Project Coordinator for Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen, Emmanuel Tetteh Danyo has also stated that farmers need to be involved in planning for the farmers day celebration.

According to him, since 1985 that former President Jerry John Rawlings brought this celebration, many farmers were awarded and since then farmers have never been involved in planning for farmer’s day celebration and this does not speak well of the celebration.
Farming in Ghana has been politicized even the mass spraying exercise was politicized and this is not helping agriculture: he lamented

Source: Ghana/ritefmonline.org/Rite 90.1 FM/Mavis Akosua