The Tano
South version of the 37th Farmers Day Celebration was held at Mansin.
The day which saw all categories of farmers from the Municipality with their
farm produces displayed at the grounds saw a large number of people attending
the days function which had for its theme “PLANTING
FOR FOOD AND JOBS - CONSOLIDATING FOOD SYSTEMS IN GHANA”
Some of the dignitaries
and participants at the programme
The programme which saw categories of farmers in the
Municipality also saw dignitaries like Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for
Tano South, Hon. Dr. Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere, the MP for Tano South
Constituency, Hon Asare Antwi, the Presiding Member for Tano South Municipal
Assembly, Mr. Anthony Owusu- Amoako, Municipal coordinating Director, the
Security Agencies, Hon. Assembly Members, Heads of Department and Nananom.
In an
introductory speech to mark the day, the Tano South Municipal Director of Agriculture
Mr. Paul Addai said the purpose of the day gathering was to say “AYEKOO” to our
gallant farmers who through their sweat and toil have been able to produce
enough for domestic consumption, provide raw materials for some of our agro
based industries and also for export and also been his maiden farmers day
celebration since assumption of office.
Tano South Municipal
Director of Agriculture Mr. Paul Addai giving his welcome address
He said
the occasion is here with us once as you may be aware today, the annual event
was designed to honour deserving famers, fisher folks and those who directly or
indirectly contribute to the development of agriculture. It is the fact that,
Agriculture is the backbone of Ghana’s economy and it is evident in the era of
COVID-19. He said the thirty-seven (37) years ago, the erstwhile PNDC
Government instituted the National Farmers Day to honour the gallant farmers
and fishermen of Ghana for their hard work and industry which resulted in
enough food to feed the nation in the preceding year 1983-84. The nation had experienced
an unprecedented famine due to drought which resulted in widespread bushfires
throughout the length and breadth of this country and said the event has grown
from a One-day Celebration at Osino in 1985, where the highest award given was
a bicycle. Today the National Farmers day is now virtually a week – long celebration where prizes given
include a One Hundred Thousand USD (USD 100,000.00) as seend money to expand
farm business and operations, double- cabin Air – Conditioned Pick –Ups,
tractors, outboard motors, refrigerators, corn milling machines, Television
sets etc.
Mr Addai
said “PLANTING FOR FOOD AND JOBS-
CONSOLIDATING FOOD SYSTEMS IN GHANA” is the theme for this year’s
celebration of the famers day and is of great importance to us in the Tano
South Municipal and Ghana as a whole. The COVID 19 pandemic has proven to us as
a nation, we should not be over reliant on import for the food we consume in
this country especially cereals and grains (rice, maize, soya beans). Our food
system need to be consolidated in other to protect the gains made under the
planting for food and jobs programme. The entire range of actors and their
interlinked value –adding activities involved in the production, aggregation,
processing, distribution and consumption needs to be consolidated to help
actieve a common objective under the planting for food and jobs programme.
He said,
Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) programme and the Government flagship
programme, planting for food and jobs is ensuring that there is enough food in
Ghana and the excess been exported and this gains needs to be consolidated
through the various actors along the value chain. Agriculture in Ghana is been
treated as a business through the introduction of modern farming machinery and
equipment and bringing farmers together to form base organizations, business
associations and supporting the needs of small scale agricultural producers and
entrepreneurs to capture and add value to on-farm, post – harvest and off- farm
enterprises. A total of three farmers groups have been provide with rice
harvesters to help decrease post –harvest losses. The beneficiary groups are
Derma rice farmers group, Onwe Nkwanta rice farmers group and Mansin rice
farmers group. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic brought on them a lot of
challenges which affected how they live their lives, it has however created a
lot of opportunities for the gallant and hardworking farmers as the demand for
locally produced food is on the increase and they can only meet this demand if
they run their farmers enterprise as a business and this is what been modeled
under the planting for food and jobs programme.
Mr. Addai
said Tano South Municipal is benefiting immensely from the planting for food
and jobs programme and a lot of success stories can be told under the
programme. A total of Twenty –eight thousand Two Hundred and seventy – six
(28,276) farmers have benefited from the Planting for Food and Jobs Progeamme,
comprising of Twenty – three Thousand Three Hundred and Six- Seven ( 23,367 ) Males
and Four Thousand Nine Hundred and Nine (4,909) females, inputs supplied to
these farmers include the following; 10,400 bags of NPK, 335 bags of OPV,
Maize, 100 bags of Hybrid Maize, 600 bags of Agra Seed Rice, 1,490 sachets of
cabbage seeds and 111,100 Litres of
Organic Liquid Fertilizer.
He said,
farmers yield, income and standard of living have all been increased those
participating under the planting for food and jobs programme and farmers from
Onwe Nkwanta, Subriso, Derma and the host community Mansin can attest to these
facts. Under a special out-grower scheme under the planting for food and jobs
programme to produce certified rice seeds for famers, s total of Two Hundred
and One Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy- Five Ghana Cedis, Fifty Pesewas
(201,975.50) have paid to one Hundred and Forty (140) framers comprising of one
Hundred and Twenty-Four (124) males and Sixteen (16) females from Derma,
Mansin, Bechem and Onwe Nkwanta. Before the introduction of the out-growers
scheme developed in the Municipal, the metric tones per hector of Agra was 2.8
and now it has been increased to 3.7 metric tones per hector. The maize farmers
participating under the planting for food and jobs programme are having theirs
maize grains been purchased like cocoa with weighing scales within the Tano
South Municipal. A total number of Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis( 50,000.00) have
been paid to Seventy (70) maize farmers from Techimantia, Akobro, Asuboi, Wraponho, Tweapase and
Subriso under a special arrangement with KHAAPAD ENTERPRISE and more famers and
aggregators are going to be bring onboard for the 2022 farming season.
Mr.
Addai said consolidation of food system in Ghana cannot be complete without
livestock and fishery sector because these two provides the proteins in our
diets which are very essential for our body development. Under the rearing for
food and jobs, livestock farmers are being provided with cockerels. A total
number of fifty –Two (52) famers with Thirty-One (31) been males and Twenty-One
(21) been females. In general, there has been an improvement in the housing of
animals, decreased in incidents and I will edge all livestock farmers to work
hand in hand with the livestock and veterinary officers for the municipal to
achieve self- sufficiency in meat production. He furthers said, the criteria in
the selection of the award winners cut across the country of Ghana; some of
which are Diversified and integrated farming operations, Scale of operation,
Knowledge of husbandry practices, Environmental awareness and relevant
practices, Identification of farming problems and innovation, Record Keeping,
Adoption of new technology, General impression of the farmers and the farm,
post-harvest activities, contribution to his/ her community among other things.
The Tano South Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi in
his welcome address said the NPP government’s agriculture intervention
programmes introduced under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has
helped many people to acquire sustainable jobs.
The Tano
South Municipal chief executive, Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi giving the keynote
address
Hon. Takyi said this year’s theme “PLANTING FOR FOOD
AND JOBS- CONSOLIDATING FOOD SYSTEMS IN GHANA” is
most appropriate for this year’s celebration, considering the robustness shown
by the agriculture sector in the midst of corona virus chain showed a lot of resilience,
in ensuring availability of food and raw materials to feed the masses and agro-
processing industries in the country. Farmers in the country have not allowed
the corona virus pandemic to disrupt the farming season but continue to put
food on the table of all of us at this time where stronger immune system is
required to combat pandemic. He said, imagining the fate of this country at
this stage without our gallant farmers. Almost all countries are experiencing
food insufficiency and are concentrating on using what is available to
countries of need at exorbitant prices, if there is any time in the country’s
history that farmers must be appreciated, is now.
He said, the major
dimension on any country’s security is to ensure food security and availability
of jobs for the teaming unemployed youth. In recognition of this, H.E. Nana
Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo since his assumption of office on 7th
January, 2017 has undertaken a number of intervention to improve food security
and create employment for the teaming youth.
One of such major
intervention is the planting for food and jobs which has helped farmers
tremendously, resulting in the increase in agriculture productivity. This
programme made available to farmers input at subsidized rates, and it is
important to stress that this Municipality benefitted hugely from the PFJ
Programme. The government through the
implementation of Planting for Food and Jobs initiative had employed number of
the unemployed youth and extension officers.
Hon. Takyi said, the nature
of the programme has also attracted a number of the youth into the agriculture sector.
The President under his stewardship has bonded well with farmers and has a full
appreciation of the problems and solution needed to fast-track government’s agriculture
modernization and transformation agenda resulting on a number of interventions
undertaken. He continue that the government through the ministry of Local
Government, Decentralization and Rural Development is implementing the Ghana Productive
Safety Net Project (GPSNP) OF Which Mansin is among the communities benefitting
from the project in Tano South.
The objective of the
project is to support the government to strengthen the Safety Net System that
improve productivity of the poor. The component of the project which is
currently being implemented in Mansin is the productive inclusive activities
for the extremely poor household and Labour Intensive Public Works (LIPW) which
aims at extending income earning opportunities to poor households. This component focuses at assisting the
Assembly to maintain or rehabilitate assets that can improve productivity of
communities and respond to the anticipated climate change. This explains why
the dam is currently being rehabilitated to support year round production.
He said, this component
focuses at assisting the assembly to maintain or rehabilitate assets that can
improve productivity of communities and respond to the anticipated climate
change. This explains why the dam is currently being rehabilitated to support
year round production. He disclosed that the implementation of this programme
has resulted in the following nursery and plantations; 10,000 coconut nursery
at Mansin, 12.5 ACRE Coconut Plantation at Mansin, 12.5 Acre Coconut Plantation
at Kwasu, 10, 000 Oil Palm Nursery at Dwomo, 12.5 Acre Oil Palm Plantation at
Dwomo, 12.5 Oil Palm Plantation at
Tweapease, 12.5 Oil Palm Plantation at
Derma. He edge farmers who are interested in coconut and oil palm seedlings
could contact the Department of Agriculture for some of the seedlings at free
of charge. These policies are in line with the governments Planting for Export
and Rural Development Programme aimed at improving income levels of our gallant
farmers and also serve as raw material base for the smooth implementation of
the ‘’ One District One Factory’’ Agenda
On road infrastructure
hon. Takyi said, is key to the development of the agriculture value chain that
is why upon the assumption of office in 2017 himself and Hon. Dr Benjamin
Yeboah Sekyere (MP) worked tirelessly to get the attention from the government
to fix some of the roads. The effect of
the result is the construction of Bechem- Techimantia – Akomadan road and
Techimantia –Derma- Asuoso road, Bechem town roads and occasional reshaping of
other feeder roads in the Municipality including Bechem- Kwasu road to ensure
smooth movement of farm produce to the market centers within and outside the
Municipality.
Hon. Takyi thanked
Newmont Ghana Ahafo Mines for their contribution towards last year and this year’s
farmers day celebration and took the opportunity to appeal for more support in
the subsequent events. he emphasize that the government is poised in supporting
all players in the food/agriculture value chain in the country, including
livestock, agro-processing, marketing, storage and job creation and
sustainability in order to ensure success. He inform them that fortunately the ‘’ One Distract One Factory’’
project which is ongoing at Dwomo is almost complete. It is envisaged that the
factory will start operation in the first quarter of next year (2022) and will
utilize palm fruits farmers with this Municipality.
He again commend the
farmers and awardees for their useful contribution in ensuring availability of
food and raw materials to feed our industries and urge awardees to even work
harder to win Regional and National awards in future.
In a short but
impressive speech, the MP for Tano South Constituency Hon. Dr Benjamin Yeboah
Sekyere thanked gallants farmers for coming in their numbers to celebrate the
Municipality version of the 37th Farmers’ Day and defined Farmers’
Day as a day set aside by government to honour farmers irrespective of their
age, colour, religion, political affiliation etc.
Hon. Dr Benjamin Yeboah
Sekyere MP for Tano South Constituency speaking at the programme
He advised the populaces to help reduce high
cause of farm products. According to him farm products are less expensive in
the Municipality and specifically in the Ahafo Region but when the food
products get to Accra prices becomes very expensive due to transportation and
what we called middle men which is affecting as people in the cities not to
experience less price of food product and wish the media will take it up.
Hon. Sekyere added that, bushfire is another headache in the
country which is destroying the farm lands and pleaded with the chief to back
them with their support to fight bushfires in the municipality and Ahafo as a
whole. The former President John Agyekum Kuffuor used to arrest the chiefs
whenever there is a bushfire in an area with the one who set the fire. He appealed
to everyone to help spread the information to others about bush fires. On roads he said,
effect has been made for the construction of Bechem- Techimantia – Akomadan
road and Techimantia –Derma- Asuoso road and occasional reshaping of other
feeder roads in the Municipality to ensure smooth movement of farm produce to
the market centers within the Municipality and donated Ghc 10,000.00 from his
common fun to be shared Ghc 5,000.00 each to the best Female Farmer and Disable
famer and urged others to emulate them.
The 2021 Municipal overall best farmer Mr. Samuel Oduro thanked the
Municpal Assembly for the honor done to him and commended government for the
numerous interventions put in place to support agricultural sector to help
farmers get higher yields
The
best farmer 2021 Mr. Samuel Oduro receiving his certificate from the
dignitaries
