Concerned Farmers to boycott Farmers’ Day

Concerned Farmers Association of Ghana has threatened to boycott this year’s Farmers’ Day scheduled for December 5 at Sefwi Wiawso in the Western region to protest against government’s neglect of farmers.

The Concerned Farmers Association, made up of cocoa farmers, rice growers, poultry and livestock farmers, as well as vegetable farmers, said the Farmers’ Day is just a window dressing by government as the agric sector, which is the most important one in the country, has been completely neglected.

The President of the Association, Nana Oboadie Boateng Bonsu, said politicians and technocrats were using the Food and Agriculture Ministry to mass wealth at the expense of farmers.

“After cheating cocoa farmers for over five years, the government decides to increase producer of cocoa which is far below expectations of cocoa farmers. We want GH¢470 for bag of cocoa instead of the GH¢370 that the government is giving to us,” he said, stressing that this is clearly “Monkey dey work, Baboon dey chop” situation.

Roads in cocoa producing areas are all in a very bad state while foodstuffs are stuck in rural areas because of generally bad road network in the country.

According to the president, the farmers have lost their incomes because they either do not get their produce to the marketing centres in time or when they get to the market centres they do not get ready market for their goods.

He said the government must reconstitute Ghana National Farmers Association to meet the needs of farmers.

“All these people working with the Ghana National Farmers Association are there for their selfish interests and not working to improve standard of living of Ghanaian farmers,” he said.