The
Brong Ahafo Regional and the Tano South District Version of the 30th
Edition of the National Farmers Day Celebration was held at Derma a Farming
Community in the Tano South District.
Prizes
on display at the durbar grounds
The
programme which attracted a large number of people and dignitaries saw the
Brong Ahafo Regional Minster, the Member of Parliament for the Tano South
Constituency, the President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs the Tano
South District Chief Executive, Regional and Tano South District Heads of
various departments and agencies in attendance.
The
Tano South District Chief Executive Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba in a welcome
address said he was highly delighted to address and welcome all to the 30th
Brong Ahafo Regional and Tano South Farmer’s Day Celebration at Derma. He said
he commended the effort of our hard working farmers and fully appreciated their
role even in the face of global and national challenges to the sector.
The
Tano South District Chief Executive Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba
Hon.
Anaba said the Agric sectors contribution to the development of the economy of
the Tano South District cannot be under estimated since majority of the
workforce in the District are engaged in agriculture as their source of
livelihood and said the government through the COCOBOD distributed several bags
of fertilizer free of charge to cocoa farmers whose cocoa farms were 12 years
old and above in the district to increase production.
He
said the Agric department in the district has embarked on a six (6) acre
demonstration farm on good agricultural practice on cassava, maize, cowpea
and a 30 acre rice project under the
governments rice progamme to increase rice production.
Hon.
Anaba said the objective of the day was not only to honour farmers and
fishermen for their contribution but also to encourage people especially the
youth to take advantage of the vast lands available in the district to go into
agriculture and said the presentation of these awards to winners in this
ceremony does not in any way mean that the contribution of those who are not
receiving awards are not acknowledged
and used the opportunity to assure those farmers who are working hard but are
yet to received any award to continue to work harder so that they could also be
selected for awards in future and entreated all to join him at this juncture to
congratulate the award winners and enjoin them not to relent on their effort
but rather work harder to win higher laurels in the years ahead and used the occasion to welcome all present and a
prayed that the celebration becomes a memorable one.
In
a speech, the Brong Ahafo Regional director of Agriculture Dr. Cyril Quist said
once again, farmer’s day is here with us and would like all to join him in
thanking all farmers in the region by whose sweat and toil we feed and earn
foreign exchange for the development of the other sectors of the Ghanaian
economy and also congratulate the award winners.
Dr.
Quist said, for the first time in the history of the farmers day 9 illustrious farmers of the Brong Ahafo Region
are currently in Sefwi Wiaso where the national one is been held to
receive national awards out of which one from Tain District and the other from
the Tano South District are gunning for
any of the 3 overall National Best Award slots.
The
Brong Ahafo Regional director of Agriculture Dr. Cyril Quist
Dr.
Quist said the theme for the celebration “EAT WHAT WE GROW” provides all of us
the opportunity to reflect on how as
individuals, groups, organizations, businesses, and government we can
contribute to the growth and development of agriculture by investing in what we
grow and also by eating what we grow and said the cascading effects of our
collective efforts and actions will not
only ensure food self sufficiency for our country but also guarantee sustainable
economic growth for us as a country.
Dr.
Quist said, to create the environment to sustain the campaign to “EAT WHAT WE
GROW” a number of measures have been put
in place in the Region which include the
construction of feeder roads to link farming communities and
a number of private initiatives to mechanize agriculture.
He
said, in a bid to mitigate the effects of climate change such as drought, dry
spells and inadequate rainfall, farmers in the Pru, Sene, Atebubu Amanteng and
Kintampo North District are being supported under the Adaptation of Ago-Eco systems
to climate change (AAESCC) project with adaptation measures and strategies in
the areas of information on weather, soil and water conservation, drought
resistant seed varieties.
Dr.
Quist said that the food situation in the region remains positive and said the
major season crop production recorded surpluses as against the consumption need
for all the major staples of the region except rice and said the various departments
of Agriculture in the region continue to disseminate various technologies in
the areas of crops, livestock, fisheries and horticulture to improve
productivity, increase farmers income and reduce poverty and used the occasion
to thank all who supported the 30th Brong Ahafo Regional Farmers day celebration and wished the award
winners “Ayekoo”.
The
Member of Parliament for the Tano South
Constituency and Deputy Minister of Agriculture Dr. Hannah Louisa Bissiw in a
speech said farmers needed to be given
recognition since they play an important role when it comes to the country’s
development and hinted that the government would soon construct the Derma
–Asuaso road which she said when the project is completed would go a long way
to help the farmers to transport their produce to the urban centers for sale.
Hon. Bisiw said the government has
introduced a value change programme with the aim to minimize the importation of
foreign products especially chicken and urged poultry farmers in the region to
expand their businesses to produce more to meet the demands of the people.
The
Member of Parliament for the Tano South
Constituency and Deputy Minister of Agriculture Dr. Hannah Louisa Bissiw
The
Brong Ahafo Regional Minster Hon. Eric Opoku in his address joined other
speakers to welcome all at the function and said he on behalf of his Excellency
the President of the Republic of Ghana,
the chiefs and citizens of the Brong Ahafo Region and on his own behalf wished
to salute our industrious farmers and all stakeholders in the agricultural
sector on the very special and unique occasion of the 30th Regional
Farmers Day Celebration and said indeed the nation is proud of our hardworking farmers who go through a lot of
difficulties and challengers all
year round to always provide food on our
tables to ensure that we are always healthy to contribute our quota to national development and also
highly commend their efforts because they are the one who have ensured food
security for this region and the nation over the years.
Hon.
Opuku said, inspired by the government’s policy on the broad national
objectives for agricultural planning under the Food and Agriculture sector
development programme (FASDEP) and Ghana’s
Medium Term Agriculture Sector Investment Plan (METASSIP) people in the
Brong Ahafo have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of vigorous improved
agricultural production, fostering of public private co-operation and
investments household food security to achieve sustainable agricultural growth
and development.
The
Brong Ahafo Regional Minister Hon. Eric Opoku
Hon.
Opuku said, over the years the Brong Ahafo Region had been self sufficient in
the production of a diversity of agricultural
products including cereals, legumes, root and tuber crops, plantain, vegetables
,tree crops, poultry, livestock and fish and said currently the region is the
leading producer of maize and the second in cassava production in the country
and as a result we are proud to state that the region produces over 30% of the
food requirements of the country and the sterling achievement has earned it the
enviable title “Food Basket of Ghana” .
Hon.
Opuku said emphasis has always been placed on the need for Ghanaians to adopt
simple lifestyles that will orient our demand partners toward the
patronage of locally produced foods and
services which include the consumption of locally agricultural products and our
expectation is that the change in our behavior pattern will lead to a reduction
in the overdependence on imported products which will in turn boost our local
industry and help conserve foreign exchange as well as create employment for
our people.
Sadly,
the Regional Minister said, statistics
available shows that Ghana spends huge sums of foreign exchange annually to
import rice, sugar, tomatoes, vegetable, cooking oil, frozen fish, poultry and
wheat, the situation he said has prompted
policy makers and economists to call for a look at the basic structure
of our economy which is heavily import dependent and also on the export of a
narrow band of primary products and its therefore appropriate that the theme
“EAT WHAT WE GROW” has been chosen for
the 30th National Day Celebration.
Hon.
Opuku said the advantages of “eating what we grow” are enormous as in addition
to the health and nutritional benefits of eating fresh local foods the growing
success of the campaign would also translate into other tangible benefits such
as job creation, poverty reduction and consequently increase economic growth.
Hon.
Opoku said as we are all aware agriculture is the main stay of our economy and
development and as a nation if we can educate and appeal to our people to focus
our attention on consuming our locally made products we would be setting the
stage for a major transformation and paradigm shift of our economy generally
and strengthen our national currency.
The
Regional Minster retariated that the government under the able leadership of
President Mahama decided to support our cocoa farmers in order to boost their morale
for increased production of cocoa by initiating the free distribution of
fertilizer to support them and again said it is gratifying to note that the
government announced a 62.74% increment in the production price of cocoa for
the 2014/2015 season and government deciding to pay an approved bonus of GH₵ 5.00
per bag of 64kg.
Hon.
Opoku informed the gathering that under the National programme and drive
towards the mechanization of agriculture 8 agriculture mechanization centers
have been establish in the region with 48 tractors supplied on credit basis to
the centers.
Hon.
Opoku said that, high agriculture growth can only materialize through modernization
and diversification, driven by public and private investment in the agriculture
sector as currently there are several examples of public – private partnership
performing excellently in the agriculture sector in the region.
Hon.
Opoku said the setting in of the dry season or harmattan brings with it the
adverse consequences of bush fires which often claims lives and property and it
is on this note that he is appealing to all and sundry to give their full
support to the appropriate authorities to enable us stem this menace in order
to protect our farm lands and other properties.
The
Regional Minister finally on behalf of the government of Ghana Regional
Co-ordinating council and the chiefs and people of the Brong Ahafo Region and
on his own behalf congratulated the
award winners and said it is his expectation that the Award will motivate the
winners to work even harder than before and urged those who could not win any
award this year not to be discouraged, but to continue to work harder knowing
that all of us cannot be award winners at the same time but resolve not to
relent on our efforts to ensure that we work individually and collectively to achieve sustainable food supply and
security for the people of our region in particular and the country as a whole
and ended by commending and expressing his sincerest appreciation to all those
who contributed in diverse ways towards the success of the programme.
The
two co- chairmen Nana Krobea Asante
second left and Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II second right
Nana
Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II the Omanhene of Bechem Traditional Area who co-chaired
the occasion with Nana Krobea Asante the chief of Derma in his closing remark
said farmers contribution towards the socio economic development of the country has been enormous
and pleaded with the government to avail the farmer with the necessary inputs
to help them raise productivity and called on the farmers to be part of the PSI programme.
The
Regional best farmer award went to Mr. Tweneboah Kodua Alex of Mim.
Mr. Tweneboah Kodua
Alex receiving his award and acknowledging the gesture
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