Wa, Dec.7, GNA- Vice President Alhaji Mahama on Friday addressed the 23rd National Farmers Day, in Wa, in the Upper West Region, where he announced plans by Government to provide seed support to farmers to facilitate food production during the 2008 farming season.
He said the Ministry of Food and Agriculture had also revised the Food and Agriculture Sector Policy to modernize agriculture to provide the critical linkage between agriculture and industry.
The Day, being observed during the last month of the country's Golden Jubilee anniversary celebrations is on the theme: "Ghana @ 50: Progress And Challenges of Sustainable Agriculture Development." The annual event, which falls in the first week of every December, was instituted by the erstwhile Peoples National Defence Council to pay tribute to the outstanding contributions of farmers and fishermen to the national development efforts.
Vice President Mahama expressed the need for the country to boost domestic investment in the agro-industrial complex and challenged farmers and the private sector to proactively develop and provide adequate resources for the venture.
He touched on the recent drought and subsequent flooding in the Northern, Upper East regions, where about 97,244 hectares of farms were destroyed with a potential loss of about 257,076 metric tonnes of food. Many roads and bridges linking farming communities were washed by the floods while about 39 irrigation dams, houses, livestock and other property were destroyed.
Vice President Mahama said the affected farmers would benefit from a package to re-plant their farms.
Despite these setbacks, he said agriculture continued to be the largest sector of the economy.
Vice President Mahama said agriculture provided about 36 per cent of the total Gross Domestic Product and employed an estimated 50.6 per cent of the economically active population.
"Furthermore, the sector contributes about 52 per cent of the total foreign exchange earnings and about 10 per cent of government revenue." Vice President Mahama said between 2001 and 2006, the agriculture sector had steadily grown from 2.1 per cent to 6.5 per cent. "As a result of this hard work, I am proud to acknowledge that Ghana is reported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation to be the only country South of the Sahara that had already reduced hunger by 50 per cent up to 2006, 10 years before the target date of 2015." Vice President Mahama said despite these sterling achievements, government's effort to create the environment for sustainable growth and development were being constrained by a number of challenges. These include rigid land tenure system, over-reliance on erratic rainfall, inadequate marketing, post-harvest management, poor access to inputs, limited financial services, low use of modern technologies and an ageing farm labour force.
Vice President Mahama announced that feasibility work and designing of two proposed fishing harbours and 10 landing sites initiated by the Ministry of Fisheries is ready.
He said funding arrangements were far advanced for the commencement of the projects.
Vice President Mahama said the Ministry had also completed arrangements for the construction of ice plants and refrigeration facilities in some fishing communities early next year with funding from the second Spanish Protocol arrangement.

27 farmers in New Juaben honoured

Koforidua Dec. 07 GNA-Twenty-seven hard working farmers in the New Juaben Municipality were on Friday presented with various awards at the municipality's 23rd celebration of this year's farmers day celebration held in Koforidua.
Mr. Christopher Ayaye from Asikasu, who emerged the overall best farmer was presented with a 21-inch colour television set, bicycle, two pairs of Wellington boots, three cutlasses, full piece of wax print and a sewing machine.
Madam Abena Kumah, who was voted the best woman farmer, had a colour television set, a sewing machine, pairs of Wellington boots, spraying machines and three cutlasses as her prize. The rest were presented with spraying machines, cutlasses, half pieces of cloth, pairs of Wellington boots and insecticides. Nana Kwesi Adjei-Boateng, New Juaben Municipal Chief Executive, in an address assured the farmers that the government was fashioning out a policy where tax incentives and rebate would be given to financial institutions to assist them with loans to expand their production. He said plans were far advanced to irrigate 50 hectares of land at Akwadum to enable farmers to crop all year round.
Nana Adjei-Boateng said in the New Juaben Municipality, a number of programmes aimed at assisting farmers had been undertaken, adding that through the Food and Agriculture Budgetary Support Programme, a total of 65,151.00 Ghana cedis were invested within the last three years. "Again, under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), a total of 10,000 Ghana cedis has been disbursed for the implementation of the Youth-In-Agriculture Business Module in the municipality, with 130 youth actively participating in the programme", he said. He assured the farmers that the government would continue to keep faith with them in all their endeavours and urged them to work harder since their efforts would not be over-looked.
Nana Adjei-Boateng expressed worry that diseases like diabetes, hypertension and other related ones were on the ascendancy due to high usage of chemicals and unhygienic processing of products, including the use of dirty and polluted water.
He therefore urged farmers to heed to the technical directives of the staff of Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to enhance health status of the people.

Farmers Day- Tema

Mr William Afortey Bortey, 52 on Friday emerged the overall best farmer among 25 award winners at the 23rd farmers day held at Tema Manyhia.
Mr Bortey, a poultry farmer, cultivates a large tract of pepper, okro, cassava, moringa, mango and rear snails, and livestocks in large quantities in his Katamanso village.
For his reward he had a refrigerator, a television set, wheel barrows, water hose, certificate, cutlasses, one mesh and bicycle. The best municipal fisherman went to Mr. Tetebibio, who had fishing net, wax print certificate, wire mesh and a float while other winners received certificates and other prizes.
In a speech, Mr. David Quaye Annan, Tema Municipal Chief Executive, said the agriculture sector in the municipality is faced with indiscriminate sand winning, destruction of farms by cattle, rapid urbanization leading to loss of arable land to real estate development and general poor sanitary conditions associated with poultry and animal rearing.
He therefore called on the farmers to observe environmental hygiene to ensure that they sell healthy products to consumers. The Tema Municipal Director of Agriculture, Mr Theophilus Osei Wusu said a total of 22,300 layers/ broilers, 80,492 crates of eggs, 23,052 day old chicks were destroyed and 12,721 died on their own during the outbreak of the Avian influenza (Bird Flu).
He appealed to the farmers to always consult experts to mange their birds and animals, saying that during the outbreak the situation was managed to avoid the spread.
The day was observed on the theme: "Ghana at 50: Progress and Challenges of Sustainable Agricultural Development."
Farmers Day - Ho

A 44 year-old philanthropist, Mrs. Elizabeth Doh Asem on Friday, emerged the 2007 overall best farmer for the Ho Municipality at this year's celebration of Farmers day at Ashanti-Kpoeta near Ho.

Mrs. Doh Asem, who hails from Awudome-Tsito has a 25-acre mango farm, 25 acres maize farm, and several acres of oil palm, five acres of vegetables, cattle, sheep, goats and an orphanage.

For her award, Mrs. Doh Asem, who described herself as "a woman with a heart for children and the helpless" received a certificate of recognition, a bicycle, Wellington boots, Knapsack spraying machine, cutlasses, fertilizers and bars of soap among, other agro implements. Mrs. Doh Asem, popularly known as "peoples mother" is said to have employed hundreds of people who work on her farm for monthly stipends. A total of 23 other farmers, including Woeme Rice Growers Association of Abutia Kpota, Sokode Gbogame Roman Catholic Primary School and Kpedze Senior High School were also awarded for having emerged best in the various categories.

In an address, Mr. Mawutor Goh, Ho Municipal Chief Executive charged the Municipal Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to introduce mechanize farming into the Municipality to change the fortunes of farmers and make farming interesting to the youth.

He urged extension officers of the Directorate to always be on the ground to help farmers improve on their yields. Mr. Goh also advised farmers in the Municipality to form farming groups to access loans from the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) to enhance their work.

Mr. Anthony Tabi, Municipal Director of MOFA congratulated farmers for feeding the country for the past 50 years and expressed the preparedness of the Ministry to partner farmers for mutual benefit. Earlier, Togbe Gadze VIII, Paramount Chief of Ashanti-Kpoeta appealed to government to work on Ashanti Kpoeta roads to facilitate the easy movement of human and farm produce to the buying centers.

Farmers Day 5 datelined Hohoe

The Jasikan District honoured 17 distinguished individual farmers and Awoma Co-operative Kobo No. 3

Food and Farming Marketing Society as part of the 23rd National Farmers' Day celebration held at Bodada.

Mr. Solomon Adabra from Bowiri-Anyinase was adjudged the District Best Farmer and received a 21 inch Colour TV, piece of cloth, pair of Wellington boots, cutlasses, bicycle and Knapsack machine.

He cropped, 10 acres of cocoa, six acres cola, four acres pineapple, three acres citrus, four acres plantain, three acres cassava, two acres cocoyam, four acres maize, three acres oil palm, two acres pear and an acre of cowpea.

Mr David Tabo, 34, and Ms Victoria Akorli, 45, won the Best Youth and Best Female Farmers respectively and took home 14 inch TV, Sewing machine, cutlasses, Wellington boots, piece of cloth, and a traveling bag.

Mr Solomon Kwame Donkor, Jasikan District Chief Executive announced the revamping of the Youth in Agriculture, Crop Agriculture, Non-Crop Agriculture, Afforestation Programme and Youth in Aqua-Culture modules under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) to make farming attractive to the youth in the district.

In this regard, he urged the youth to register with the District Secretariat of NYEP, MOFA and the Department of Co-operatives in order to access credit and other inputs for commencement of farming activities.

Mr Donkor said a foreign investor was interested a 5,000 hectares of land for oil palm plantation and therefore appealed to chiefs and land owners at Jasikan and Kadjebi districts to collaborate to in order to grasp the opportunity as the topography and vegetation was suitable for large scale plantation.

He said the assembly intended to build two mechanical grain dryers at Tapa-Abotoase and Kwamekrom to solve the post-harvest losses of grain while a solar ginger dryer would be built at Kute for the commercialization of ginger for local and international markets. Mr Donkor said government was committed to the pragmatic policies, programmes and interventions it was evolving towards creating wealth and poverty alleviation, through food security and promotion of agri-businesses to facilitate the Millennium Development Goals. He mentioned the mass spraying of cocoa exercise, increased access to extension services, modernizing livestock development, enhancing access to credit and input and selective crop development. The DCE paid glowing tribute to the farmers for their contribution to the district and national economy, urging them to work harder to place the economy on a higher next level.

Mr R.K. Adzomani, Jasikan District Director of the MOFA appealed to farmers to work closely with extension officer to familiarize themselves with modern techniques in the sector for high productivity and economic growth.

Nana Aburam Akpandja IV, Omanhene of Buem called for a paradigm shift from one-man, one-farm to the commercialization of farming systems and techniques as a means of transforming the industry into large-scale farming ventures in the district.

He urged government to subsidize the cost of farming implements and inputs, easy access to loan facilities and construct feeder roads to link the farms with the marketing centres to stem the high cost of foodstuffs to ensure food security.

The celebration was on the theme; "Ghana@ 50: Progress and Challenges of Sustainable Agriculture Development".