Koforidua, Feb. 4, GNA - The National President of the Farmers Organizations Network in Ghana (FONG), Mr King David Amoah, has appealed to farmers to patronize made in Ghana goods to help create markets for themselves and Ghanaian manufacturers. He explained that, the preference for made in Ghana goods would create demands for local products and help reduce post harvest losses as well as check dwindling prices. Mr Amoah was speaking at the opening of the fifth anniversary celebration of FONG at Koforidua on Thursday. The three-day anniversary celebration, which also coincided with this year's annual general meeting of the Network, is being organized under the theme: "Harnessing Farmers Efforts on Climate Change to Enhance Food Security".

He said small scale farmers, who formed majority of agricultural producers, had never received the recognition they deserved. Mr Amoah said the Network would continue to encourage farmers to see farming as a business rather than a means of subsistence. He said FONG and other network of farmers group played a major role in the establishment of Ghana Federation of Agriculture Producers (GFAP) to give a common platform to all farmers in the country. Dr Ofori Asamoah of the Oil Palm Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said the institute would support subsistence farmers to grow to become commercial entities through the support of research findings.

He called for more collaboration between CSIR and farmers. Mr Adomako Osei Frimpong, National Advisor for Farmers Economic Initiative (NAFE) under the "1000 to Million" project advised farmers organisations to be independent of government so as to have a stronger bargaining power. He called on the leadership of farmer groups to place the interest of their members first at all times.