FPACC wish to commend the Governments (past and present) of Ghana for not only instituting and maintaining a day for commemorating the relentless patriots of this land, our august Farmers but also for their relentless efforts to empower these farmers.
Ghana is an agro- based economy with more than 55% of the populace engaged in farming activities in one way or the other. Unfortunately it is this 55% that are the most poorest of this country.
Governments before in one way or the other have done their “best’’ to enhance the activities of these farmers; be it “Operation Feed Yourself” (OFY) of the 1970s, the preaching of “Grow what you Eat and Eat what you Grow” and “Eat what you Grow and Can what you can’t” slogans of the 1980s, are but some of the few initiatives by past governments geared towards improving the agric sector and increasing our food production to enhance sustainable development.
Some former leaders of this land, in desperation, went as far as carrying Cocoa sacks on their heads together with the farmers to the nearest depots for onward transportation to the ports. Others undertook Presidential Special Initiatives (PSIs)/Youth in Farming. These emphases the seriousness of this menace and although past governments have done a lot in one way or the other to alleviate this problem, the fact remains that we still have a long way to go and lot more need to be done to better the lot of these noblemen and for that matter the country.
In as much as we commend President Mills for making Agriculture Development the bedrock of his administration’s Better Ghana Agenda, there is still much to be done.
FPACC is therefore making the following suggestions which we urge the Government to take serious if they are to make a significant impact on the lives of our honorable farmers:
1) Legislations/Laws to be enacted by parliament to curb corruption in the agric sector with stringent punitive measures against smuggling of our farm produce (including Cocoa) across our borders.
2) Government must make it a priority to construct feeder roads to the hinterlands, which are accessible all year, for the conveyance of farm produce to the urban centers.
3) Government must make available small scale business loan facilities (with low interest for famers) with the NECESSARY MEASURES in place to forestall these facilities being misuse and that only those it is intended for are the ones to have it.
4) Establish agro-base factories for processing and preservation/storage of what is left of these produce during the bumper harvest, for the lean season and/or for export to generate the much needed foreign exchange
5) Encourage farmers to form cooperatives. This will not only economically empower the individuals and the communities involve through the development of sustainable businesses but it will enhance their ability to access available credit facilities more easily, whether from the government or private.
6) The Ministry of Agric must, as a matter of urgency, make contacts with National Cooperative Business Association’s (NCBA) Cooperative League of the United States of America International (CLUSA) for assistance. For more than 50 years, NCBA's CLUSA International Program has worked in developing countries to economically empower individuals and communities through the development of sustainable cooperative businesses and other community-based organizations focused on agriculture and agribusiness development, forestry and natural resource management, improving community health and promoting democracy and governance.
With these and many more ideas and initiatives that government is already taking, we are sure to empower our farmers. Empowering our famers would also help reduce rural urban drift and its associated crimes.
The powers that be, over to you!
Desire L. Ankah, Executive Director, FPACC http://www.fpacc.org; http://www.fpacc.blogspot.com
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