A GNA feature by Regina Benneh
Sunyani, Nov 07, GNA- The National Farmers Day, celebrated annually is in the right direction as farmers remain the backbone of the nation’s economy.
Besides, their dedication and hardwork put food on the tables of millions of Ghanaians and it is therefore imperative for the nation to recognize and appreciate the contribution of her gallant farmers.
As the country progresses in development, it is also essential for successive governments to prioritize the welfare of farmers and make farming more attractive as a lucrative enterprise too.
History
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture initiated the annual celebration of the Farmers Day in 1988, setting aside the first Friday of every December to honour farmers and fishermen for their efforts in feeding the nation.
The day also acknowledges the vital contributions of a strong agricultural sector to the prosperity of the national economy.
History recounts that the first Farmers’ Day was celebrated in 1985 in Osino, in the Eastern Region and checks revealed that the Day was instituted by the government after the farming and fishing industries achieve a 30 percent growth in 1984, a significant improvement over the previous years of 1982 and 1983, the period the nation country suffered a severe drought.
Significance
As a statutory public holiday, the Day is observed on the first Friday of December. However, it is held on the first Friday of November every four years as the nation holds its general elections.
It observed to highlight the significant contributions of the agriculture and aquaculture sectors, and farmers and fishers to the nation’s economic growth and development.
During the celebration of the Day, open gatherings are organized at the regional and district levels, nationwide, where deserving farmers and fishers are awarded with prizes for their contributions to the sectors.
This year marks the 40th edition of Ghana’s National Farmers’ Day.
The Day is being celebrated on Friday, November 8, 2024.
The theme for the celebration is: “Building Climate-Resilient Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security.”
The event will be held in the Greater Accra Region, with the main celebration at the Alisa Hotel, North Ridge, beginning at 1600 hours.
This year, the Ministry has decided against regional-level celebrations. Instead, each region is permitted to nominate winners for ten regional award categories.
These awardees will travel to Accra, where they will be honored at the national Awards Night Ceremony.
Regional Ministers will present awards to honorees from their respective regions during the ceremony.
Challenges and Concerns
Despite its significance, some farmers and fishers demonstrated apathy towards the celebration of the Farmers’ Day and that could partly be attributed to many reasons. Among the reasons could be lack of awareness and the importance of Farmers’ Day and the relevance of partaking in the celebration.
In fact, the general interest of some farmers in the celebration of the Day continues to decline and proactive steps ought to be put in place to reverse the trend.
Farmers concerns
In an interview, Mr. Tabiri Mensah, a farmer in the Sunyani West Municipality said he was highly disappointed in the Ministry of Agriculture, organisers of the event, saying, “I don’t understand why some deserving farmers were left out of the awards every year.”
“In fact, there is no need to participate in the celebration this time. In the past 12 years I have been attending the event, but nobody recognizes me though my farms are even better than some of the award winners in the municipality”.
“In 2023 I took some of my farm produce to the celebration, and all I got was half a bar of key soap which is not even near to the cost of my transport. I don’t see any reasons to attend this time. It’s a total waste of time and resources,” Mr. Mensah stated.
Other farmers shared similar sentiments, worrying that the award categories did not even represent the diversity of farmers in the country, particularly, smallholder farmers and that of farmers in the rural communities.
“The event even starts late, and we end up starving. I think the organisers ought to be more thoughtful enough and do better,” a farmer who spoke on condition of anonymity stated.
Some of the farmers also said they felt that their dedicated and hard work and contributions to the agriculture and fishery sectors went unnoticed, as they struggled with the limited resources to feed the nation.
Lack of credit facilities, modern farm inputs, and technology also hinder their ability to improve productivity for enhanced socio-economic livelihood.
Way forward
This reporter believes that these and several other concerns raised by some farmers highlight the need for the government and stakeholders to tackle the teething challenges confronting farmers in the country.
It is also imperative for the government and its development partners to intensify education and awareness creation on the significance of the Farmers’ Day celebration and the need for every farmer to participate in the annual celebration.
Additionally, all farmers in the country must get equal opportunity to participate in the event, regardless of their locations and their farm sizes.
That would greatly inspire them to produce more for improved food security and sovereignty.
It is often demoralising to see a farmer receiving only a machete or Key bar soap or wellington boot as prizes for a whole year’s indefatigable efforts.
In conclusion, the Farmers’ Day celebration remains significant and successive governments must be proactive enough to tackle emerging challenges to make the celebration beneficial to all farmers in the country.
GNA