Some award winners at this year's Volta Regional Farmers Day celebration have appealed to government to subsidize farm inputs
to help improve production and sustain the industry.
"The lack of subsidy on inputs, lack of credit facility and market for farm produce is making farming difficult for us and not appealing to our children", Mr Nganasin Thamabor, 46, this year's Volta Regional Best Farmer told the GNA.
Mr. Thamabor, father of six from Kpasa in the Nkwanta District took home two full pieces of cloth, a bicycle, a sewing machine, a corn mill, a spraying machine, two full pieces of cloth and a certificate.
He has 15 acres of groundnut, 13 acres of yam, 30 acres of maize, 15 acres of cashew, 8 acres of rice, 5 acres of soya bean and 3 acres of oil palm and several livestocks.
Mr Thamabor lamented that in his 14 years of farming, he had never benefited from any credit facility, a situation he described as "very worrying".
He dedicated the award to his five permanent employees and appealed to government to show more commitment to agriculture and invest in the sector.
Mr Kofi Dzamesi, Volta Regional Minister, in a speech read on his behalf expressed regret that, notwithstanding the significant role played by agriculture in the country's economy, the sector was yet to achieve its full potentials.
He attributed this to the continuous reliance on very simple implements and tools for agricultural production and pledged government's resolve to help improve the sector.
Mr Dzamesi said a number of infrastructural projects were ongoing in the region towards the development of agriculture.
In all, 22 other people including institutions in the Adaklu-Anyigbe District and the Region were awarded for having emerged winners in different categories.
Twenty-one farmers, fishermen and agro-processors in Tema Metropolis were on Friday awarded during this year's Farmers' Day with Mr Emmanuel Tetteh Amankwa emerging the 2008 metropolitan best farmer.
Mr Amankwa, 59, was presented with a certificate, sword of honour, bicycle, refrigerator, television set, four cutlasses, a Knaspa sprayer, wheelbarrow, Wellington boots, two watering cans, shovel, wire mesh, wall clock and wax print.
He has cultivated 12 acres of cassava, six acres of pepper and five acres of tomatoes in addition to rearing of 670 cattle, 32 sheep and 76 local birds.
This year's celebration is under the theme; "Globalization - Its Effect on Agricultural Production in Ghana."
Mr David Quaye Annang, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive in a keynote address said celebration of farmers' day annually for the past 24 years was in recognition of the invaluable role farmers and fishermen played in the country's economy.
He said the celebration was also to motivate the farmers and fishermen to produce more to ensure Ghana's food security as well as feed the country's agro-industries with the needed raw materials
Mr Annang said apart from making it possible for Ghana to export its products, globalization had brought improvement in the country's agricultural production through the transfer of technology and the dissemination of research information on improved farming methods.
He indicated that in addition to the support government provided to the agricultural sector; donor funds injected into the sector amounted to 132.2 dollars accounting for the sustainability of food supply in the country despite world food crises.
Mr Annang however, said the practices in some parts of the world such as the global warming and transfer of agricultural pests and diseases across borders was still a challenge to the sector.
He noted that restrictions often imposed by the international community sometimes affected the growth and development of the sector.
Mr Annang noted that Ghana had performed well to meet international food security and phyto-sanitary conditions through series of training on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for farmers and other stakeholders particularly exporters of agricultural commodities.
Mr Felix Mishiame, Tema Metropolitan Director of Food and Agriculture said 250 farmers in the metropolis benefited from 50 major demonstrations on good practices in crop farming by his outfit.
Mr Mishiame said the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) provided free vaccination for over 5,000 animals in the metropolis.
He appealed to farmers and fishermen in the metropolis to utilize such opportunities provided by MOFA to increase their produce.
Mr Mishiame advised farmers to plant enough crops on the available farm lands in the metropolis and use the recommended chemicals to increase their yields and avoid wasting of resources.
Forty-five farmers were presented with awards at the 24th Western Regional and Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Farmers' Day at New Takoradi.
Twenty-one of them were from Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Area (STMA) and four from the Region
Mr Kofi Ansong of Sefwi Wiawso was adjudged the best Regional farmer and presented with a corn mill, a sewing machine, wax print, radio/cassette player, spraying machine, wall clock, matchets, a pair of Wellington boot, bicycle and a certificate.
Madam Elizabeth Angoh of Whindo won the best Metropolitan Best Farmer award and presented with a packet of roofing sheets, two full pieces of wax print, a mobile phone and 14 cutlasses.
Mr Issa Yankey of Nzema East, Best Regional Oil Palm Farmer, Mr Annor Aku of Jomoro District, Best Regional Coconut Farmer and Madam Christina Wayo of Sefwi Wiawso, Best Regional Plantain Farmer.
Mrs Helena Abaidoo of Bowohomodzen, Best Metropolitan Plantain Farmer, Mr Alfred Kow Duku of Eshiem, Best Metropolitan Oil Palm Farmer and Nana Kwamena Wiredu of Ahanta Abaasa, Best Metropolitan Cassava Farmer.
Addressing the farmers, Mr Anthony Evans Amoah, Western Regional Minister, said government was determined to modernize agriculture, not only through importation and use of agriculture equipment but also application of science and technology in farming.
He said the challenges in agriculture development were enormous and complex but government had remained committed and was providing the necessary infrastructure and enabling environment that would enable Ghana compete in the global world.
Mr Amoah said government would ensure there was effective communication system in farming areas through the construction and rehabilitation of highways and feeder roads, improve land policies to ensure arable lands were made available for food and cash crop production.
He said credit facilities to farmers had also been made available through various agriculture projects such as the Food Crop Development Project, Rubber Out-grower Scheme, Livestock Development Project and the Inland Valleys Development Project.
Mr Amoah explained that these programmes were to give attention to small and medium scale producers who constituted the majority of the farming population.
He said government had proposed a Pension and Housing Scheme for cocoa farmers that had already taken off.
Mr Amoah said Ministry of Fisheries in the Region had assisted fishermen and over 600 fish farmers had been trained in fish farming techniques and management.
He said a Western Regional Fish Farmers Association had been inaugurated and the Ministry had made available a fish pond, digging machine and a compactor to the Wassa West Fish Farmers Union to facilitate pond construction.
Mr Amoah said outboard motors had been distributed to more than 200 fishermen through the Agriculture Development Bank (ADB) and over 1,000 fishermen had been educated on the relevant sections of the fisheries law to ensure responsible fishing practices and management of fisheries resources.
He said the problem of inadequate funds, pair trawling, use of light in fishing and the use of undersize fishing nets were some of the major challenges in the fisheries sector and the Ministry was doing everything possible to overcome them.