The Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen has described the November 8 National Farmers’ Day celebration as fraudulent and unconstitutional.
President of the Association, Farmer General Nana Oboadie Boateng Bonsu II, stated that the Association cannot recognise the celebration because the government failed to go through the laid-down procedures in organising the celebration.
Speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he said they were consulted as required by the law, hence the celebration is null and void.
”The Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen, the constitutionally mandated organisation that serves as the apex body of all farmers and fishermen in the country as well as the mouthpiece of all farmers in Ghana, has not celebrated Farmers Day. The event you witnessed last week was not a Farmers’ Day celebration. Can the Ministry of Sports organise a league without consulting the Ghana Football Association? If the Ministry of Sports can organise a league without the GFA’s knowledge, the Ministry of Agriculture can do the same, as they have done.
We were not informed of the celebration. We received no official communication from the Ministry. We weren’t invited. We had no representatives on the committee that planned the celebration. We had a committee that organised the event every year, but since this government took office, we have been excluded. They have invited their wives, children, and relatives to organise a celebration at a hotel to honour their own cronies. So I want to state unequivocally that the celebration on Friday was fraudulent, fake, and a scam, and I will urge Ghanaians to disregard it.
He told host Kwabena Agyapong that a new and proper government will lead to a well-organised, non-political farmers’ day celebration. Unfortunately, farming in Ghana has become politicised. It’s unfortunate and should be widely condemned.
He lamented that since former Agriculture Minister Dr. Afriyie Akoto’s departure, the ministry and the new minister have failed to consult stakeholders on farming and agriculture in general.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana