Farmers appeal to government to make agriculture attractive

Gomoa Okyereko (C/R), Oct 03, GNA - Farmers in the Gomoa and Awutu-Effutu-Senya districts have appealed to the government to make agriculture attractive to the youth.

They said agriculture is the bedrock of every country's development but the high cost of inputs, fertilizers and other chemicals and lack of credit facilities had scared the youth.

The farmers made the appeal at a rally attended by farmers from the two districts at Gomoa Okyereko near Winneba on Saturday. It was organised by a Coalition of NGOs including Oxfam, ISODEC, Send foundation, Action Aid Ghana, Marketing Access Promotion Network, Peasant Farmers Association, GAWU and Abibiman Foundation. Nana Ntsiful Ababio XI, chief of Okyereko and the Chairman of the Okyereko Rice Farmers Association, said foreign products on the Ghanaian market, especially rice, was affecting their occupation. He said due to high cost of agricultural inputs and labour most farmers operate at a loss and appealed to the government to review its agricultural policy.

Nana Obuabeng Tawiah III, chief of Gomoa Assin Mampong and Apakamhene of Gomoa Assin Traditional Area, urged the government to give credit facilities to the youth who want to go into farming. Mrs Faustina Andor, a rice farmer at Okyereko, appealed to the government to help rice farmers in the town with a combine-harvester to ensure easy harvesting of their farms.