President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has through the Ministry of Interior declared Friday, December 2, 2022, as a public holiday to be observed by Ghanaians across the country.
“The general public is hereby reminded that Friday, December 2, 2022, which marks Farmers’ Day, is a Statutory Public holiday and should be observed as such throughout the country,” the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, in a statement said.
Farmer’s Day in Ghana is celebrated annually on the first Friday in December, and on the first Friday in November when it’s an election year.
It aims to honour and recognise farmers and fisher folk in the various regions, for their efforts in the promotion of agriculture.
This year’s celebration will be held in the Eastern Region and will be marked with a National Agricultural Fair from Tuesday, 29th November 2022 to Friday 2nd December 2022 with the theme Accelerating Agricultural Development Through Value Addition.
Launching the ceremony in Accra, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, said the theme was chosen “because the concept of value addition in agriculture, especially fisheries and aquaculture present a very good opportunity for additional revenue generation, job creation, foreign exchange earnings, and effective post-harvest management.
“For instance, in 2021 total fish production stood at 628,617.53 mt estimated at GHS11.04 billion, contributing about 1.04% of GDP and 20.99% of Agriculture GDP. I am sure that, if value addition was included, the value would have been more,” he stated.
On his part, the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. Seth Kwame Acheampong, said agriculture’s contribution to Ghana’s GDP continues to remain significant and the employment opportunities that exist in this sector cannot be overemphasized.”
Mr. Acheampong said agriculture cannot, therefore, be left out of the country’s developmental agenda due to the fact human basic survival and progress depend on the produce of agriculture.
By: Bernard Ralph Adams | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
