By Dennis Peprah, GNA
Sunyani, (Bono), Dec. 5, GNA – The Global Media Foundation (GloMeF), a human rights and media advocacy non-governmental organisation, has called on the government to prioritise and invest much into the nation’s economic crop sector for the nation to derive the optimum economic benefits.
In a statement issued to mark the 41st National Farmers Day celebration, the foundation noted that much attention and huge investment ought to be made into cashew, cocoa and the shea sectors.
It said those cash crops were critical to rural economies, and could potentially widen the nation’s foreign exchange earnings, and create more jobs for the youth.
The National Farmers Day was instituted to celebrate, recognize, appreciate and reward deserving farmers nationwide for their dedication towards improving food sufficiency and security.
A copy of the statement signed by Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu and made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani on Friday said: “Ghana needs to secure fair pricing mechanisms locally and globally, ensure transparency in commodity trading and expand opportunities for farmers to earn dignified incomes from their labour.”
It expressed regret that despite their hard work, farmers engaged in cash crop continued suffering from price fluctuation that undermined their socio-economic livelihoods.
The statement said: “A stronger, fair pricing regime, supported by effective regulations and market reforms is essential to guarantee profitability and long-term sustainability for producers.”
It also called for modern storage and processing to tackle post-harvest losses, worrying that such losses remained one of the nation’s biggest setbacks.
The GloEMeF therefore urged the government and private investors to prioritise storage infrastructure, processing centres, and value addition facilities to help farmers maximise their profits and also create more opportunities.
It also expressed concern about the growing menace of illegal mining, destroying farmlands, water bodies, and the nation’s forest resources, adding that: “In fact, galamsey is destroying farms, contaminating water sources, degrading forest reserves and threatening national food security.”
The statement called on the government to intensify the fight against illegal mining, enforce environmental laws without fear or favour, and thereby “safeguard the lands that feed all Ghanaians.”
It said: “As a nation, we owe our farmers more than praise; we owe them concrete action. Their toil sustains households, communities, industries and the nation’s economy.
“If Ghana is to achieve food sufficiency, industrialisation and climate resilience, then we must place farmers at the centre of every development agenda.”
The statement reaffirmed the foundation’s commitment to advocating farmers’ rights, amplified their concerns and pushed for policies that ensure a dignified, profitable and sustainable agricultural sector.
It saluted farmers for their dedication and sacrifices in feeding and nourishing the nation, and called on the government, private sector, development partners, and civil society to prioritise and implement realistic policy intervention that truly empowered local farmers.
“Agriculture remains the nation’s surest path to sustainable development, poverty reduction, youth employment, and national stability,” it stated, and also expressed the regret that farmers could not thrive “if they are left to struggle alone.”
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah