Farmers’ Day budget meagre – Agric Minister

Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto has bemoaned the lack of funds for this year's National Farmers’ Day celebration.

According to him, the ministry had to depend on sponsorship from corporate Ghana and other development partners to ensure a successful celebration.

In a statement on the floor of Parliament ahead of the 34th edition of the Farmers’ Day celebration which will be held in the Northern Region, Dr Akoto Afriyie said despite the limited budgetary allocation, his ministry will ensure that deserving farmers are rewarded on Friday, 7 November 2018.

The theme for this year's celebration is: ‘Agriculture, moving Ghana beyond aid’.

Dr Akoto Afriyie also assured the farmers in the country of the government’s continuous support since agriculture is the backbone of Ghana's development.

He said: “The constraints on the national budget had a major drawback on this year’s preparation given that some budgetary allocation of GHS 2 million approved for the fiscal year 2016/2017 was maintained for 2018. In effect, the ministry has had to rely heavily on sponsorship from corporate Ghana and other developing partners to ensure a successful celebration.

“Going forward, it is the hope that the budget approved for the National Farmers’ Day will reflect the status of agriculture as the lead sector for propelling Ghana’s economy to the height of prosperity that we all desire.

“I trust, therefore, that in reviewing the 2019 budget estimates for the Ministry of Agriculture, this matter will seriously engage the attention of the house and receive further consideration.”