Establish Ghana Agriculture Service - GAWU to government

The General Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU) of the Trades Union Congress has called for the establishment of a Ghana Agriculture Service (GAS) to provide sustained extension support, monitor progress, and ensure accountability in the sector.

In a statement issued to mark this year’s National Farmers’ Day celebration, GAWU argued that a dedicated service is critical to achieving the theme of the occasion, “Feed Ghana, Eat Ghana, Secure the Future.”

The union expressed concern over the current farmer-to-extension officer ratio of 1:1,500, which far exceeds the internationally accepted standard of 1:500.

GAWU described the situation as a major barrier to effective farmer support and urged government to employ more agricultural graduates to strengthen extension services.

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General Secretary of GAWU, Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe, who signed the statement, commended Ghanaian farmers for their resilience in the face of floods, droughts, high input costs, and limited tools.

He also acknowledged government initiatives such as the Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness (PIAA), which have promoted mechanisation, irrigation, and the “produce-what-we-eat, eat-what-we-produce” philosophy.

However, GAWU cautioned that Farmers’ Day risks becoming “just a ceremony” unless government institutionalises agricultural support in a concrete and structural way.

“Farmers’ Day is meaningless without the establishment of a Ghana Agricultural Service,” part of the statement read.

The union argued that just as Ghana has established the Health Service and Education Service to provide professional structures in those sectors, agriculture requires a permanent service to drive policy formulation, extension, research, and implementation.

Without such a framework, GAWU warned, policies will remain reactive, ad hoc, and lacking continuity.

SA

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