AYEKOO TO OUR FARMERS (NOV 7, 2008)

TODAY, the state will honour all hardworking farmers at ceremonies throughout the country, with the national awards durbar taking place in Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The awards were instituted in 1985 by the then PNDC regime to motivate our farmers to step up production to feed the nation and for export. Presently, the awards have grown in value beyond the expectations of those who conceived it, thereby engendering healthy competition for the Best Farmer award.
From a corn mill as the ultimate prize in 1985, the awards have been nurtured from that humble beginning to the level where the state provides a house for the Best Farmer at a place of his or her choice, while the two runners-up take home vehicles.
The contributions of our farmers to national development efforts are priceless and it will be difficult for the state to amply reward them for their labour. Thus the Farmers Day is just a token of the appreciation of the government and the people of Ghana for farmers’ dedication to work and patriotism.
Even in this technologically-advanced age most of our farmers still ply their trade with labour-intensive implements such as hoes and machetes. Unlike their counterparts in advanced societies where mechanised farming is the order of the day, our gallant farmers have to apply crude methods to till the land and depend on a favourable weather to obtain good yields.
On the occasion of the 24th Farmers Day, there must be useful lessons from our experiences as a nation for us to fashion out policies to begin the journey towards a self-reliant nation, as espoused in 1973 under the Operation Feed Yourself (OFY) programme. That programme caught on with the people, such that in no time Ghana was able to export some cereals to other African countries.
At this stage of our nationhood, first order needs, such as food, clothing and shelter, should not be beyond the reach of majority of our people because as an agricultural country, any extra support to our farmers should put at least a meal on the table of every household.
The DAILY GRAPHIC salutes our gallant farmers on the occasion of this year’s Farmers Day, largely on account of the fact that Ghana has avoided the harsh effects of the global food crisis.
We caution that if plans are not put in place to motivate the youth to take to agriculture, the country risks facing a food crisis pretty soon when our aged farmers phase out of the system. Poor harvests, on some occasions, can be attributed to the rural-urban drift by the youth, which depletes the labour needed on the farms.
The global food crisis that caused violent demonstrations in our neighbouring countries should be a wake-up call to us to put the necessary structures in place to increase agricultural production.
Thankfully, Ghana has been spared the harsh effects of high food prices but the experiences of others should guide us to avoid their challenges.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, calls on the government to provide more support in the form of credit facilities, high- yielding seedlings and extension services for the farmers to expand production.